The Unexpected Pack
by hermionespolyjuice
Summary: Hermione gets bitten by Fenrir Greyback at the battle of Hogwarts and flees out of shame of what she had become. But with the help of two unexpected people she's able to accept it and move on, but it's not exactly a straight road to the end.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've written a new story, I hope you enjoy it! I'm currently writing the 7th chapter and loving writing it (maybe even more than Dolohov's Curse) so you will definitely be getting updates, how regular I can't guarantee but they'll be there! Anyway, don't forget to favourite/follow/review if you life it! Much appreciated!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter and I don't wish to gain anything from writing, I do it for pure pleasure. All teh rights belongs to the creator of my favourite series, J.K. Rowling.**

 **Chapter 1**

What Hermione saw from the other side of the courtyard made her feel sick. She had never been a fan of the girl but to see her suffering like that made her seethe with rage. This rage ensured that the Death Eater she was currently fighting ended on the floor, unconscious, just one spell later. Hermione leapt over the body and fired a stunner straight into the chest of the Death Eater currently fighting Dean Thomas. She received a smile from him for her efforts but didn't return it. She tried to make her way across the courtyard to save her as quickly as possible but it proved to be more difficult than she thought. She dived behind a pile of rubble, only just avoiding a flash of green light. She daren't look behind to see whom it had hit. Peering out from behind the rubble she was able to see her attacker was none other than Antonin Dolohov. Heart pounding and blood boiling Hermione leapt out from behind the fallen bricks and started duelling with the Death Eater.

Five minutes later and Hermione was feeling tired from the amount of energy she was exerting against the Death Eater. She didn't think she would ever be able to defeat him and was terrified she wouldn't be able to dodge one of the purple spells he kept on firing at her, knowing it was the same spell he had used on her two years previously. Fortunately, help had come in the form of Remus Lupin and together they managed to defeat the twisted-faced Death Eater and he finally crumpled to the ground. The two victors shared a quick smile before darting off in different directions, Hermione towards the poor girl and Remus to help his wife against Yaxley.

In the few minutes it took to get to where she wanted to be she had stunned a number of Death Eaters and saved Colin Creevey from experiencing the wrong end of a Cruciatus Curse. By the time she finally reached her classmate she knew it was too late. The life had left the eyes that belonged to Lavender Brown. She had been bleeding profusely from bite marks in the neck, shoulder, and chest. She shuddered at the sight but knelt down and closed her roommate for 6 years' eyes, furious at Fenrir Greyback. Now was the time for him to die the death he deserved. Hermione saw him head down the corridor and turn its corner. After casting a protective spell around Lavender to ensure she wasn't harmed anymore so her family would at least have a body to bury in her memory, Hermione hurried after the figure, ready for the first time, to kill. The man had ruined too many lives, not just through deaths but also in turning helpless individuals into werewolves. Now it was his time for his fate to be sealed.

"Stupefy," she shouted as she turned the corner. Greyback only just managed to duck out of the way as he turned to face his attacker. It was then that Hermione noticed he wasn't carrying his wand, and she realised he was relying on his lycanthropy to injure and kill. The fire increased inside of her as she started sending any spell she could think of down the corridor towards the werewolf. A few moments later, the whole corridor shook and the ceiling began to crumble; it fell between Hermione and her opponent. She turned and began to run away from the falling the ceiling, so she wasn't crushed but as she turned the corner to ran straight into the person she hadn't wanted to see.

"I've always wanted to eat a mudblood, they do tend to be particularly tasty," he sneered. Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She was trapped. She had nowhere to go. This was when she truly wished one was able to apparate in the grounds of Hogwarts. Before she had been able to think of a plan, the werewolf leant forward, his mouth open and razor-sharp teeth bared. Hermione managed to duck the first attempt, and the second, but it was on the third that she was less lucky and she felt the razor-sharp teeth sink into her shoulder. Pain immediately radiated through her body and she knew she was done. The pain was almost worse than the Cruciatus Curse and all she wanted was for unconsciousness, or even death, to overtake her. She began to shake in pain, the tears in her eyes beginning to spill down her cheeks.

She began to feel more and more lightheaded, the pain becoming too much, and just wished for it all to be over. But before she lost consciousness, the Death Eater attached to her went limp and fell to the ground, his teeth ripping the skin on her shoulder open even more. Hermione looked down at her shoulder that was now bleeding profusely and then down the corridor to see who had killed her attacker. She made eye contact with the only person she wanted to see, Remus Lupin. His eyes widened as he made the connection between the body lying on the ground, the bite on her shoulder, tear stains on her cheeks, and the fear in her eyes. Lupin started to move towards her but Hermione turned, blasted the fallen rubble, and began to run. She ran as she had never run in her life. She clasped her shoulder in her hand, trying to stem the blood flow just a little, dodging various colours of light and spells. The pain was unbearable, but she just needed to get away. She could hear his footsteps behind her but didn't slow down. She jumped over bodies, not bearing to look down to see what side they were on. Tears were falling more thickly down her face, blocking her view of where she was going.

Hermione finally burst out of the front doors of the school and started to sprint towards the front gates where she would be able to apparate away, far away from everyone.

"Hermione! Hermione, wait up," his voice came from behind her. But Hermione ignored him; she just wanted to get away from everyone. And then she wanted to fall unconscious and let the pain subside. There was nothing anyone could do or say right now. She knew she wasn't going to die. Yes, she was bleeding a lot, but not enough to cause her to bleed to death. She just knew that her life had changed. And changed for the worse. She wouldn't be able to look anyone square in the eyes again. She couldn't face them, there's no way they would want to be friends with a werewolf, and she wouldn't blame them. No, she just had to get as far away from people as possible before she was a danger to them all.

She began to slow a bit as she tired and before she knew it a hand had grabbed her wrist and she was pulled to a stop. The man turned her around and looked at her with worry.

"Remus, please just leave me alone. I need to get out of here. I need to get away before I hurt anyone. I need to be by myself. I'm a danger to everyone now; I need to go. Please just let me go," she pleaded tears still falling thick and fast.

"No, I'm not going to let you just walk away from this. This may not be ideal, but you can get through this, Hermione. You're going to be fine, just one night a month when you won't be but that's nothing to worry about. You will survive this; I know you will. Just don't leave," Remus begged, his own eyes filling with tears as he was able to see the fear not just in her eyes but in her entire body.

"I can't stay, Remus. I just can't. I need some time. I need to work this all out. And I need to work this out alone. Please let me go and please promise me you won't tell anyone about it. I'll be fine, at least for now," she added in a whisper as an afterthought.

"I'm not going to let you just leave, Hermione. Imagine how everyone would react when you're not around at the end. It would kill them all."

"Imagine what they will say when they realise what I am. That is what would kill them. Just don't tell them, promise me that," Hermione said finally managing to shrug herself free from his grip. Remus gave up, it had never been possible to change her mind when she was younger and there's no way he would be able to now. He shook his head, tears trickling down his cheeks. He pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"As long as you promise me you'll stay safe," he muttered. Hermione nodded, wrenched herself away from him and disapparated, to where she didn't know yet. Remus stood there alone for a while before turning back to the castle and the battle. He knew she would be fine, she wasn't Hermione Granger for no reason but there was a part of him that was scared for her. He had been too young when he was first bitten to understand anything but he was still able to understand how Hermione was feeling right now and he wanted nothing more than to be with her.

[-||-]

"Harry?"

"Hmm?" he responded his eyes still closed.

"Have you seen Hermione?" Ginny asked quietly examining her friend's face.

"Not for a while, no," he answered opening his eyes and looking down at the Weasley girl's face. It was scarred, blotchy, and her eyes were bloodshot but dry. The Weasleys had all managed to get out unscathed with nothing more than some bruises and scars and some broken fingers and ribs, but Harry knew Ginny had been crying for other friends who hadn't made it out alive. "Have you not?" Ginny shook her head.

"The last time I saw her was when she was fighting Dolohov in the courtyard," she said quietly not wanting anyone around them to hear and start panicking. Harry's heart sank, he had always thought Dolohov had something against Hermione, most likely due to her muggle heritage.

"Let's go have a look," Harry said standing up and offering her his hand. Ginny gratefully took it and together they started to leave the Great Hall.

"What are you both up to?" Ron's voice floated from where they had left the rest of the Weasley's after only a few steps.

"Just going for a walk," Harry quickly lied. He didn't want anyone else to start worrying until it was absolutely necessary.

"Don't be too long," Mrs. Weasley called after them. The duo walked towards the courtyard hand in hand passing many people moving bodies, both from their side and Voldemort's side, into the room off the Entrance Hall. Harry felt so much guilt; everyone who had died had died because of him. It was all his fault that people were mourning the loss of parents, children, friends and classmates. Harry wanted to stop and help but not knowing where Hermione was was a more pressing matter to him and Ginny so they continued on keeping an eye out for the bushy mane of hair.

After rummaging through the entire courtyard with no success Harry and Ginny continued to the grounds, where the sun was beginning to rise casting a golden glow, and started searching towards the forest and Hagrid's hut. As every minute passed with no success the fear started to get stronger. What had happened? Where was she? Was she alright? Question after question floated through Harry's mind as he tried to think when he last saw her.

"We should probably go back," Ginny muttered as they found themselves the far side of the lake.

"I guess 16 more eyes would help," Harry said sadly. There was a part of him that was convinced of the worst and no matter how hard he tried to rid the thoughts they kept coming back to him.

"She's fine, I know she is. She's just needed some time to herself," Ginny said sounding unconvinced herself. Harry squeezed her hand as they re-entered the Great Hall.

"Took you long enough, we were about to send out a search par-," George stopped talking upon seeing the looks of Harry and Ginny's faces. "What is it?" Harry and Ginny exchanged a look that made everyone around them worried about what was going on.

"We can't find Hermione," Ginny said quietly looking down at the floor, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"What do you mean you can't find Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley questioned.

"I think it's fairly safe to assume what they mean when they say they can't find Hermione," Fred responded tartly.

"Don't you go using that attitude on me young man," Mrs. Weasley began but was stopped when her husband placed a hand on her arm as if to tell her now was not the time.

"Is she not helping Madam Pomfrey or something? It's something I would expect her to do," Bill suggested. Everyone looked around, hopeful, but no one spotted the distinctive brown hair, neither as a helper nor, fortunately, someone in the dead or injured areas.

"Maybe St Mungo's?" Ron proposed after a few moments.

"Very possible," Mrs. Weasley said. "Especially if you're certain she's still not here."

"She's definitely not in the grounds," Harry agreed. "But maybe the castle."

"Alright, let's split up and search the castle. We'll meet back here in 15 minutes," Mr. Weasley instructed and together the 8 Weasleys, Harry, and Fleur all split up and searched the castle for Hermione.

Harry was full of disappointment as he made his way back into the Great Hall 15 minutes later to see a mob of redheaded Weasleys.

"So, Harry, Ron, Ginny and myself will go to St Mungo's to find out if she's there. We will send word if we find her, and, if not, well, we'll be back to the Burrow," Mr. Weasley said. There was protest, mainly from his wife and Fred, who wanted to join them to the hospital but Mr. Weasley put his foot down. "If she is there, it will be too much for her to have so many of us there. We need to be careful, we don't know what state she may be in." Reluctantly, Mrs. Weasley, the twins, Percy, Bill and Fleur all took a portkey back to the Burrow to shower and get food ready whilst the others were transported to St Mungo's.

The hospital was so packed it was almost impossible to navigate their way through anxious family members to reach the main desk. It was also made harder due to the fact that everyone recognised Harry and wanted to stop him to congratulate and thank him. They were finally able to get free and reached the reception desk where they were met with a grumpy looking witch.

"Next," she called in a bored sounding drawl.

"We're looking for Hermione Granger. Is she here?" Harry asked, taking a step up towards the desk. The witch picked up her wand, waved it in a circular motion and waited momentarily before shaking her head.

"No Hermione Granger has been admitted here," she said and shooed them off calling for the next people in line. Harry felt his heart sink and the tears begin to fill his eyes. He had finally lost all hope. Best-case scenario she was badly hurt somewhere, worst case she was dead. Either way, it didn't look good. He felt a small hand appear in his and looked over to see Ginny watching him carefully tears in her eyes. Harry pulled her into a hug and let his tears spill. His best friend for 7 years was missing, and he had no idea what he could do.

"Come on, let's get home," Mr. Weasley said, his voice sounding very distant. Over Ginny's head he could see that he too was struggling to hold back the tears, all colour draining from his face. Harry looked over at his other best friend and wasn't surprised to see him sporting a look that mirrored how he felt. Harry nodded and together the four walked over to the fireplace and flooed back to the Burrow to spread the news.

Half an hour later and Harry found himself sitting at the kitchen table a cold mug of tea sitting in front of him and a plate of untouched sandwiches on the table. No one had any kind of appetite after finding out about Hermione's disappearance. Everyone sat in silence, in their own thoughts.

"Should someone floo Charlie? I reckon he would like to know. They had gotten close last summer before the wedding," Fred finally uttered, his voice weak and quiet, to the silent kitchen.

"I'll do it," Bill said standing up and heading to the living room. Everyone could hear voices but were unable to hear exactly what was being said. A few minutes later he returned to the kitchen.

"He says he'll come over for dinner tonight after telling everyone at the reserve to keep an eye out. He mentioned how she had expressed a passion for dragons last summer and wonders whether she may have gone over," Bill announced, his voice monotonous and face passive. "I think I'm going to take this sleepy one back home, we'll be over this evening." Bill carefully woke the sleeping Veela and disapparated with a pop to Shell Cottage. His pop seemed to have awoken Mrs. Weasley from a stupor who suddenly started sending everyone off to bed to get some sleep albeit being 10 am.

10 minutes later and Harry climbed under the covers of the bed on Ron's floor only just feeling exhausted.

"She's OK, isn't she?" Ron's scared sounding voice came from above.

"I hope so, Ron," Harry responded taking off his glasses and putting them on the floor. "We'll look into it properly after some sleep." Within a minute Harry had fallen into an uneasy sleep, riddled with dreams and nightmares of Hermione.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, I would love it if you left a review so I know whether it's actually good!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you so much for all the support after the first chapter - was not expecting that! Therefore, I've decided to post this chapter a bit earlier than I was planning! Hope you enjoy it, and don't forget, please leave a review/follow/favourite!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Disclaimer** **: I own nothing to do with Harry Potter, everything belongs to the legend J.K. Rowling herself**

 **Chapter 2**

Hermione landed in a clearing in the middle of the forest in Chaumont, a place where she and her parents had often visited when she was young. She crumpled to the ground, the pain almost unbearable. She didn't know much about the initial stages of lycanthropy and knew that once she was feeling up for it a trip to Flourish & Blotts or equivalent was necessary. In the meantime, she needed to sort herself out.

Hermione lay there on the cool ground hoping the pain would eventually leave her, but it did nothing of the sort and 10 minutes later she found herself digging around in her small beaded bag for the Dittany. She was shoulder deep in the bag before her hand grabbed hold of the small, cold vial of the potion. She pulled it out and unstopped it. The bleeding had lessened but when she removed her left hand, warm blood continued to ooze from the gash. Hermione poured the Dittany over her shoulder and let out a sigh of relief as the searing pain reduced somewhat. Casting 'Episkey' she was able to dry up the blood and clear it away so she could examine the bite.

She let out a loud gasp as she looked at the bite. It was much larger and deeper than she initially thought due to Greyback being latched on and tearing away her skin as he fell to the ground. It was red and hot to the touch. If she squinted, she thought she was able to see some bone. She shuddered at the memory and how her life was so different now. She knew she needed to see a healer, but the last place she wanted to go was to St Mungo's and get identified by someone who would sell the story to the Daily Prophet and cause her secret to be out in the world. No, she would deal with this by herself. But, for now, she needed to sleep off the pain and the exhaustion. Hermione fished out a bandage from her bag and, wrapped it around her shoulder before pulling out a sleeping bag. She quickly set up a few wards around her, and got into the sleeping bag, downed some dreamless sleep potion and fell asleep instantly.

[-||-]

Charlie sat back onto his heels shocked at what Bill had just told him. His father had sent him a patronus the minute the battle had finished telling him of the outcome but the last thing he was expecting was for his older brother to tell him Hermione was missing. Charlie thought back to the weekend of Bill's wedding last year where he had found himself talking to Hermione many a time.

 _"_ _So why dragons?" Hermione finally asked the question she had been burning to ask for years since she had first found out the second eldest Weasley child worked with dragons. As a youngster, dragons were the creatures that fascinated her the most; she knew almost everything about them from muggle books. One of the first books she took out from the Hogwarts Library was_ Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland _, and since then she had become an expert._

 _"_ _That's easy; they're the fiercest, most feared, but most magical and amazing creatures that live on this planet. Why would someone choose to work in something else when they can work with dragons?" Charlie responded with a smile, that Hermione noticed spread across his entire face and into his eyes._

 _"_ _I agree. When I was younger, I owned pretty much any muggle book, both fiction and supposedly factual, on dragons. I was a complete nerd over them. They just fascinated me, even as a muggle child knowing they didn't exist. And then when I was welcomed into the wizarding world and found out dragons actually exist, well you can imagine how long I spent in the library then," Hermione finished with a chuckle, remembering the countless times she had been escorted from the library back to her common room by Professor McGonagall after curfew in the first weeks of Hogwarts._

 _"_ _I never knew you had such a passion for dragons," Charlie muttered noticing the sparkle that filled Hermione's chocolate brown eyes as she mentioned the creatures._

 _"_ _I haven't really told anyone, wouldn't want them to think me any more peculiar than I already am," Hermione said sorrowfully._

 _"_ _And why would liking dragons make you more peculiar?" Charlie asked wanting to know her answer given his passion for them._

 _"_ _I dunno, I think I was just scared of what Ron would think if he found another reason as to why I had such a non-normal childhood," Hermione shrugged, not being entirely truthful but Charlie didn't push the subject anymore. That evening had been when their friendship had began and blossomed. They had spent as much of the next 48 hours before Hermione left with Harry and Ron talking, mostly about dragons and Charlie's work but about everything and getting to know each other._

Charlie smiled as he remembered the late night conversations as he got to know his brother's best friend. Hermione had made him promise that he wouldn't tell anyone her plan to become a dragon tamer after getting her NEWTs and he had already secured a job for her in Romania for when she was ready. Charlie wouldn't say he knew Hermione that well but he knew her enough to know that disappearing was very out of the ordinary.

Charlie pulled on his boots and went on a walk around the reserve in search of Hermione. A part of him knew it was hopeless, as had she come to the reserve she would have told everyone and she would definitely have come to find him, but if there was a possibility she may be here he would search everywhere for her. Charlie wandered around the large reserve looking for traces of Hermione, but was unsuccessful, though, unsurprised. He knew that for Hermione to have disappeared like that something must be very wrong. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what, so he told his fellow tamers that if they happen to see a bushy-haired girl wandering around or in the local towns to tell him. He then packed an overnight bag and headed to the Romanian Ministry to get a portkey back home.

[-||-]

Harry woke later that day to Ron's gentle snores. It took him a few moments to remember what had happened and he felt the tears emerge at the thought of Hermione. He had no idea where she was. He was almost certain, however, that she wasn't dead. He was beginning to think that she had just needed some time and peace and quiet to get through the traumas of the last year. Or maybe she had gone to get her parents, not wanting to wait any longer until she could be reunited. Harry sat bolt upright as the last thought wafted through his brain. He had it. He knew he was right now. It would make so much sense for her to have gone to Australia. And hopefully she would only be a day or two so didn't feel she needed to tell anyone. But why did she just disappear? Why so suddenly? Groaning at the thought of being so close to the answer but so far at the same time, he pulled on a hoody and quietly left the room and headed downstairs.

"Sleep well, Harry, dear? How about a fry up?" Mrs. Weasley asked as Harry entered the kitchen where Ginny and Fred were already eating a full English breakfast regardless of the time of day.

"That would be nice, thank you," Harry responded not fully in the present as he pulled out a chair and sat down next to Ginny.

"Someone looks a bit worse for wear," Fred pointed out from across the table.

"Have you looked in a mirror yourself?" Harry replied after taking in Fred's look, which he assumed was no different from his own. Fred's hair was a matted mess; his eyes dark and shallow and he sported a large number of cuts and bruises. Fred's lips twitched upwards at Harry's comment. Not in the mood to make conversation Harry busied himself by eating his breakfast, or lunch or afternoon tea whatever you feel like calling it. But he wasn't hungry. He didn't want to eat. The thought of eating was making him feel sick.

"I think I might send an owl. I don't know where she is but they're normally pretty good at finding people. I wish Hedwig was around, she would have found her within a day," Harry finally announced after getting fed up of just pushing his food around on the table.

"Good idea, Harry. If you want I can take it to the ministry and use one of their owls, they won't question me and it'll save you making an appearance," Mr. Weasley's voice came from the doorway.

"That would be great, thanks Arthur," Harry replied. He stood up and trudged upstairs to Ron's room to write a note to Hermione. Unsure on what exactly to say, Harry sat at Ron's desk rewriting the letter six times until he was satisfied. It wasn't the best, but it would do. He should at least get a response. A response saying that she was OK. Harry tried to ignore the bad feeling of something bad happening to Hermione and her not being OK in the middle of nowhere, but it just seemed to get stronger each time it returned. Hoping the letter would do the trick, he gave it to Mr. Weasley who flooed off to the ministry to send it and be updated with any necessary news.

The next hours went by slowly, no one truly knowing what to think. From the mood you would have thought they had lost the battle but with a missing friend there was no reason to celebrate. The Daily Prophet arrived glorifying the result and praising the Golden Trio, which subsequently resulted in a major influx of owls bringing letters from random witches and wizards thanking Harry, Ron and Hermione for everything they did but Harry couldn't bring himself to read any of them. Each time he saw an owl he was reminded of everything that Hermione had done, and now he was just sitting at the Burrow with no clue on where she was or even if she was alive or not.

Charlie landed with thump in the living room of the Burrow and was immediately engulfed in a hug. The length of the flaming red hair told him it was Ginny. All the Weasley children loved Ginny to pieces but it was Charlie who she got along with her the best and it was him who she was most glad to see appear from nowhere. Charlie wrapped his arms around his sister and squeezed her tight. Being in Romania meant he hadn't done much to do with the actual fighting of the battle but more in ensuring Europeans didn't join Voldemort's side. That being said, he still sported a huge number of scars from his work with dragons and from the huge bags under his eyes he may as well have been in the midst of the fighting the previous night.

"Let him breathe, Gin," Fred's voice came from the sofa and reluctantly Ginny stepped away, tears brimming her eyes.

"I am alive, you know that right," Charlie said trying to make her feel better. Ginny sniffed but didn't say anything. The next person to attack Charlie with a hug was his mother, who couldn't be persuaded to step away quite as quickly as Ginny, and Charlie found himself struggling to breathe until he managed to push her off. Once everyone had greeted Charlie, they filled the sofas everyone sipping at a mug of tea.

"So the last person to see her was Ginny in the courtyard about an hour before the end," Charlie muttered after being filled in of the events from the past 24 hours.

"Yeah, and she was fine," Ginny piped up from a beanbag on the floor, where she was absentmindedly stroking Crookshanks, who had been looked after by Mrs. Weasley since Bill's wedding.

"And she definitely wasn't still on the grounds or at St Mungo's? And there was nothing in the paper about her?" Charlie questioned.

"Nothing other than telling everyone what she had done this past year," Harry said.

"And you've heard nothing from her? No owls or anything?"

"Absolutely nothing. It's as if she's disappeared off the face of the earth," Fred said sadly.

"Well, she won't have disappeared. She'll be somewhere," Charlie muttered slumping back against the sofa. "She may well have just needed some time to herself. Give her a few days, I reckon, and if she's not back by the end of the week then we start searching." There was a general murmur of agreement. As much as if killed Harry not to start looking now, there was a part of him that told him Charlie was right. She most likely needed to get away and didn't want to be with anyone. If she still wasn't back in a few days then they'll begin to worry but as of now they just needed to wait and see.

[-||-]

When Hermione woke up, it was dark but through the trees she could see the sun beginning to rise. She checked her watch and was surprised to see she had slept for nearly 24 hours. The pain was still evident in her shoulder and had now spread down her arm, but it was bearable and less aggravating than the previous morning. She carefully pulled off the bandage around her shoulder and was met with a nasty looking gash that was oozing both blood and some repulsive smelling green pus. Hermione knew she needed to see a healer, and see one fast, but she wasn't prepared to face the world and everyone knowing her new secret. The healer would have to wait, for now it was a bookstore and some research into werewolf bites and the recipe for some Wolfsbane.

Hermione's heart sank as she realised what she needed, and it was then that it really hit home she had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback and would turn into a werewolf every month. The tears started to fall as she remembered what her life had been and how it was never going to be the same. She cried as she thought of Harry and the Weasleys and how she would probably never see them again. She just couldn't see how she could trust herself to be around them. What if something happened and she hurt one of them? She would never be able to live with it. No, she wouldn't be able to return. For now, she was all alone.

Hermione didn't know how long she had laid there crying over what she had now lost all because she hadn't been smart enough to get away from Greyback, but she suddenly sat up and packed everything into her beaded bag, ready to get the books and ingredients she needed. Before apparating away she wrapped up her shoulder once more, cleaned her clothes, and cast a few spells to alter her appearance so that hopefully she wouldn't be recognised.

She landed with a pop in a side street in London a little way from Diagon Alley. Making sure no one was around Hermione headed to The Leaky Cauldron. She wanted to get in and out of the wizarding street as quickly as possible so she practically found herself running towards her favourite shop, Flourish and Blotts. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the lights on in the shop and pushed open the door. Without notifying the owner, she hurried to the area of the shop she knew the books on magical creatures were kept. She searched the shelves for a few minutes until she spotted the books she needed: _A Werewolf's Life_ and _The Book of Beasts_. Hermione grabbed them along with a potion book she knew had the Wolfsbane Potion recipe inside and paid quickly, ignoring the worried glance she received from the owner.

Heading into the apothecary, she knew she was looking for: powdered silver, aconite, moonseed, moondew, essence of comfrey, and Salpeter. She also purchased extra dittany for any further injuries she may experience. Just like in Flourish and Blotts, she ignored the look the employee gave her and quickly hurried out of the shop and out of Diagon Alley where she disapparated, this time appearing in a clearing in the middle of the Black Forest in Germany.

Hermione was relieved that she had completed her errands without getting noticed, and, so returned her appearance back to normal before pulling out the three books. She knew she had 17 days until the next full moon and hoped that it would be long enough to brew the Wolfsbane potions. Skimming through the recipe she knew there was no way she was completing it in time. It was even more complicated than the Polyjuice potion. In theory, it wouldn't take as long but there were definitely many more opportunities to make a mistake and it could very easily become poisonous. She pulled out the cauldron from her bag, lit a fire and started to simmer the essence of comfrey and knotgrass. Satisfied, she started to read the werewolf section of _The Book of Beasts_ in anticipation of what her life was going to become.

 **(A/N: there you go! Hope you enjoyed it, it's a bit of a filler but necessary - hopefully we'll get to the juicy bits soon!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who's read/followed/favourited/reviewed the story so far - I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it's quite short and a bit of a filler but we're getting to the juicy bits soon! As always, please leave your thoughts!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing :((**

 **Chapter 3**

Three days passed, and Hermione found herself restarting the potion at least twice every day, something going wrong at a different point each time. It was frustrating her. Potions had always been one of her best subjects and right now she just couldn't seem to get it to work. She knew it was a complicated potion, but she figured that she wouldn't have had to restart seven times in three days. It also didn't help that she was experiencing a weakness in her right arm and a pain that would cause her to suddenly fall unconscious for a few hours every now and again and miss a critical step in the potion. Whilst she was frustrated, she wasn't particularly worried. The books had told her that it often took three to four months until the pain from the bite completely subsided, and she knew her bite was a lot worse than most people's, so was expecting the pain to last for a while. It just didn't help that she felt so alone. She couldn't bring herself to contact anyone and bring shame to them all, but, right now, more than ever before she needed someone to talk to.

Hermione let out a sigh as she sat back onto her heels, watching the potion bubble into a silvery grey. It almost seemed that the bubbles were dancing about the surface, and it quickly put her into a trance. It didn't take long until she found herself falling into a deep sleep filled with dreams and happy memories from both her muggle childhood and from her seven years at Hogwarts. It was the first time in years that her sleep hadn't been plagued with nightmares, tears, and screams.

[-||-]

During those three days, Harry had shut himself away from everyone else. He was mentally kicking himself at what had happened. It was entirely his fault that Hermione wasn't here. Rather than try and protect everyone, he had dragged them all through hell during the battle. He hadn't even thought about them, just himself. Just the fact that he was too scared to face Voldemort by himself. And now he was even more scared than he had been then. He was terrified for Hermione. He was afraid that he had lost his best friend, but he was also frustrated at the fact that he wasn't able to do anything. He had no idea what to do. The owl he had sent came back with the letter still attached. He had sent out patronuses, which were never returned. He had visited St Mungo's a number of times to double-check she wasn't there, and also wandered the streets of Diagon Alley. He had even returned back to Hogwarts but ended up returning less than 10 minutes later not being able to control his emotions. He had even considered putting something in The Daily Prophet, but he knew they would have had a field day if they found out one of the Golden Trio was missing. Whatever had happened to Hermione, Harry was beginning to think that she needed time and the last thing she would want would be piles of witches and wizards chasing after her. He felt he had exhausted his efforts and now he couldn't think of anything else he could do to find his best friend.

There was a knock on the door, which caused Harry to snap out of his distant thoughts. He looked over and saw Ginny walk in. She didn't say anything as she walked over to sit down on the camp bed next to him, and slowly leant her head on his shoulder. Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they sat there in silence until Ginny asked the question Harry had been asking himself the past three days.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I've done everything I can think of that won't draw attention to myself. I want to find her; I need to find her. But the last thing I want to do is go to the ministry and ask for help. If anyone outside of us lot find out it will be chaos and I almost think that she may have purposely distanced herself and just wants time. I don't think we've even told the Order yet, so going to the ministry just won't work," Harry said, trying to convince himself that it would be the wrong thing to do more than anything,

"Are you sure we shouldn't? I mean I agree with you that it may not be ideal, but don't you think it would be silly not to do whatever it takes to find her? We don't know what's wrong with her. She may be really badly hurt and just not able to apparate or anything. We just don't know, so surely it would make sense to try whatever we can to find her," Ginny said.

"I know, Gin. I know that. I'm just not sure I would like myself if The Daily Prophet found out," Harry muttered quietly.

"Would it really be that bad a thing if they did find out? I mean that way everyone would be able to help. And people would help. Everyone in the wizarding world would want to find Hermione so surely thousands of eyes would be better than what 20 eyes?"

"I guess."

"You could just start with telling Kingsley and some Aurors to begin with if you're that opposed to getting it put into The Daily Prophet. But, Harry, they're going to find out at some point, whether it's tomorrow or next week or whenever. They will find out."

"Yeah, OK. I'll go see Kingsley on Monday and see what he can do then." Ginny pressed a kiss to his temple before standing up and getting ready to leave Ron's room.

"Mum also told me to tell you dinner will be ready in like 20 minutes." And then Harry heard the door click leaving him to mull over the plan. A part of him was glad that Ginny had managed to persuade him to at least go to Kingsley about Hermione's disappearance. Another part of him was worried and still didn't think it was the best thing, whilst another part just simply wanted to find her and he would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe.

Letting out a sigh, he stood up and slowly trudged downstairs to the kitchen not really wanting the company of the rather rowdy Weasleys he could hear from upstairs. When he entered the kitchen he was surprised to see everyone already sitting at the table. Casting a quick look he noticed that three seats were empty rather than the usual one.

'Where's Charlie?" he asked sitting down in between Fred and Ron.

"He had to go back to Romania, something about a hatching or something," Ron shrugged reaching for the bowl of mashed potato now that everyone was sitting at the table.

"Good to know you still pay attention, Ron. He had to get back because one of the dragons escaped and was burning up the local village," Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"Same thing," Ron muttered though a mouthful of food. This resulted in a glare from his mother and an elbow in the ribs from his sister.

"Gred and I have decided to re-open our shop on Monday," George said quickly, trying to change the conversation before an argument could arise at the table. Despite the success of the war, everyone seemed to be quite touchy, most likely due to the disappearance of Hermione, and dinner would frequently become a quiet affair after someone stormed off because of what so said someone else had said.

"That's great, boys," Mrs. Weasley responded, but only half-heartedly. Harry couldn't tell whether it was from her general disapproval of the shop or from Ron's manners, or lack thereof.

"Have you added some new stock then?" Bill asked, jumping on the bandwagon in an attempt to keep the conversation light.

"Oh yes," the twins responded, their eyes lighting up with glee.

"But we'll let you come and see them all on Monday. Who knows what the service will be like, and we're sure people seeing you lot enter, especially Boy Wonder over there, will make them come too," Fred added on a serious note, making Harry blush a little. He still hadn't got used to the fame that had come with the final defeat of Lord Voldemort. He had read a few of the letters that frequented the Burrow so often, but he knew they were mostly all the same and gave up reading them quite soon after. He did, however, cast a quick eye over all the handwriting in the hopes he would see the neat and tidy writing that belonged to Hermione, but was always left disappointed when it didn't appear.

"I do hope you've haven't gone too over board," Mrs. Weasley muttered, more to herself than to the table. The smirk that was exchanged between the twins didn't go unnoticed by everyone at the table, including the matriarch of the Weasley family. Dinner continued with a light mood, everyone laughing and enjoying themselves for the first time in a long time and it didn't take long until the Butterbeer, Elven wine, and Firewhiskey were all brought out of the cupboards and the true celebrations began. Even Harry had been able to push Hermione to the back of the mind, never truly forgetting her, for the rest of the evening as he celebrated happily with the Weasleys, who had been delighted to accept him into the family, although not officially…yet.

[-||-]

"Oh for fucks sake," Hermione let out a shout as she woke one morning about a week later and saw that the potion had turned into a sooty black powder, another indication it had failed. She was growing more and more frustrated by the day, and it didn't help that the full moon was mere a six days away and she was getting more and more anxious about what was going to happen. There was only so much that the books could tell her, and she knew that it was going to be extremely painful and it wouldn't help that she wouldn't be able to take any Wolfsbane potion to stay sane during the night.

"Evanesco," she said angrily through gritted teeth clearing away the potion, or what was now powder, and cleaning out the cauldron. She set a fire underneath the cauldron and began again. She had ended up taking another trip to the apothecary, but this time visited the one in Hogsmeade to avoid raising suspicions. Fortunately, however, she had yet to reach the part of the recipe that required any of the aconite and other expensive ingredients and so only found herself needing the more inexpensive ones.

Once she was satisfied the potion wasn't going to boil over, she stood up and stretched. Deciding she needed to get moving after spending so much time sitting and lying over the past week, she picked up her beaded bag and headed across the clearing and towards the trees ready to get suitably lost in the woods for a bit of an adventure.

However, not even 10 minutes into her adventure, she came across something that she had least expected. Her heart leapt as she took in the scene in front of her. She turned around quickly and hurried back to where she had left her cauldron. Deciding that she could get away with loosing 10 minutes of work, she discarded the potion, thrust the cauldron into her bag, and put out the fire. Making sure there were no signs that she had been there, she hurried back to where she had spotted the thing she had been longing for so long. After a few minutes, she came across the hut in the woods and walked up to it. It gave off no magical vibes, and, as her sense of smell had improved so much in the last few days, she was convinced that not only was it uninhabited it hadn't been lived in for at least a year, if not longer.

Hermione hesitantly reached out and pushed on the front door, letting out a sigh of relief when it clicked open. Without looking inside, she quickly cast protective wards around the hut. Once she was satisfied, she went about busying herself by cleaning the hut, the amount of dust that had accumulated would have made Mrs. Weasley sick. Thinking of the Weasley matriarch made her eyes sting with a few tears. She had let her down; she had let everyone down. Before she got overwhelmed with emotions like she had so frequently recently, Hermione rubbed at her eyes angrily and continued to make the hut liveable. It was open-planned and was considerably larger on the inside than it looked to be from outside, which made Hermione believe it had been used by wizards and enchanted to be a bit like the tent she, Harry, and Ron had lived out of for the better part of a year. In one corner was a kitchenette that was relatively well supplied. The other corner housed a large fireplace, surrounded by well-used, comfortable looking armchairs. On the other side of the hut was a bed, a desk, and a door, which Hermione presumed led to a bathroom. It was perfect and just was she needed. She was so relieved that she no longer would need to be lying on the hard ground in the forests and felt more protected, and sheltered from the weather.

20 minutes later, she found herself curled up in a tartan armchair reading one of her favourite childhood books _Eragon_ , the fire roaring in front of her and the potion bubbling softly on the table on her left.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review, good or bad, of your thoughts!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited so far - hope you enjoy the new chapter :) please leave a review of your thoughts at the end!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 4**

The day of the full moon dawned, and Hermione rolled over to star up at the wooden ceiling of the small hut. For some reason she didn't feel nervous, just apprehensive of what was to entail. Hermione went about her day as she seemed to go about most days, started off with breakfast before trying to rescue the potion from yet another disaster. She would often spend the time before lunch reading in front of the fire to make sure the potion didn't completely fail. A quick lunch and then a long walk through the woods before returning to her book and the fire for the evening. But today was different. Today she would have to leave the hut for the night and turn into what so many people feared. Today was the day when everything became a reality.

Hermione spent as much of the day as possible busying herself and trying to keep her mind occupied, but her to avail as by two in the afternoon she had succumbed to sitting in an overly large armchair waiting for the night to come. There was just one advantage it being this time of year and that being because the nights were considerably shorter than during the winter months

[-||-]

Over 500 miles he sat in his study off the main landing staring out of the window into the pouring rain that was hammering on the roof. He was thinking about her and how he had failed to keep her protected. He had let her run away and now he knew she was facing what would be the hardest night of her life all alone. A lone tear trickled down Remus' old, scarred face as he thought of the witch he had dubbed the brightest witch of her age. He shouldn't have given in so easily. He should have made her stay and helped her get through it. She shouldn't be by herself.

Remus let out a sigh as he looked down at the crumpled-up pieces of paper that littered his desk. He had tried searching for her for the past two weeks; it had been something to take his mind off the death of his wife and the mother of his son. But he hadn't succeeded. He'd tried everything. He searched the entire UK form John O'Groats to Lands End and back again but never picked up her scent other than at Hogwarts mere days after the battle. He'd contacted other werewolves in Europe but heard nothing that helped. He was losing hope and there was a small part of his brain that kept on nagging him.

"She's not dead," he said aloud shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind for at least the 10th time just that morning.

"Who's not dead?" a quiet voice came from the door to his study. Remus spun around but managed a weak smile when she saw Harry in the doorway holding a wriggling Teddy with bright pink hair. His hair had changed to pink the day after the battle and hadn't changed since. Even in his 2-month-old brain he must have known he would be growing up without a mother.

"Hermione," Remus admitted looking down at the floor to hide his tears.

"No, she's definitely not dead," Harry said fiercely walking over to his father and godfather's best friend; the last of the Marauders. Remus looked up and smiled before accepting the wriggling child.

"I just wish I knew where she was," Harry said his voice braking as he slumped into the well-worn armchair next to Remus' desk. Harry's mood always broke Remus' heart. He wanted to tell him, truly he did but he had to honour Hermione's wishes. She didn't want them to know and it wasn't his right to go and tell them all. But maybe just Harry? He deserves to know. No, you can't tell him. He wouldn't be able to cope not telling the Weasleys and then there would be a mass hunt for her. She needed time. She would be back. At some point. He needed to respect her wishes. Remus had this argument with himself on a daily basis. He desperately wanted to tell everyone, but it was Hermione's secret and it was her secret to tell.

"Me too," Remus said quietly, his eyes stinging with tears. Hermione had felt like a daughter he never had. She'd come to him many a time in her third year when she'd had an argument with Harry and Ron. They would talk and Remus would teach her spells he thought she should know. He became her confidant and he was slowly beginning to realise she was a member of his pack. That's what hurt him the most since the battle, that he hadn't been able to protect his pack mate. Not that he had ever told her she was in his pack. She had been the one to convince him to marry Tonks and she'd been the one to talk him out of leaving her at the altar. She had always been there for him. And he wasn't there for her.

"I went to see Kingsley this morning," Harry finally blurted out. He felt the need to tell someone at least.

"Oh. What did he say?" Remus asked, turning in his chair to face his best friend's son.

"He was going to speak to some of the best Aurors and get their help. He promised it would be kept a secret form everyone and there'd be no way the Prophet would find out. I just hope he's right. Can you imagine what would happen if this got to the news? I mean, I'm beginning to get the feeling she just wants to be alone," Harry sighed.

"Hmm…let's hope they get a lead," was all Remus was able to say. He felt that if he said anything more, it would all just slip out and he would start betraying Hermione.

[-||-]

Back in the small hut in the middle of the Black Forest Hermione was trying to prepare herself for that night. She knew it was going to be painful and miserable but other than that she didn't really know what to expect. She made sure that she would be wearing clothes that she didn't care about, a grey t-shirt and black leggings. She tried to force some food down her gut but struggled to eat more than a few bites of toast before she felt violently ill, whether from the wolf inside of her or the nerves for that night she was unsure.

The time seemed to stand still as the day ticked by. One minute found Hermione cleaning the already spotless kitchen, the next it was attempting to read, then she tried writing a shopping list for the next few days before restarting the potion. Whatever she did she was only able to do almost half-heartedly. Her mind just wasn't fully in it; the ever-looming night seemed to fully consume her.

As the evening got chillier and darker, Hermione found herself beginning to panic. The pain was already starting to flow through her veins, a kind of throbbing that told her it was beginning. She decided to leave her wand hidden under a bush outside the hut knowing that she wouldn't have control over her mind and wouldn't want to set off some unwanted magic or accidently break her wand whilst in her wolf's mind. She strengthened the wards around the hut before heading off, deep into the woods attempting to prepare herself for the worse. She was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold. It was from pure fear. Right now, she was still very much Hermione Granger the muggle-born witch, and not Hermione Granger the werewolf and she was terrified of what was going to happen that night. She had read numerous books the past few weeks since the battle, but she didn't feel that any book could prepare her for what was to happen, oh how she wished Remus Lupin was nearby.

Hermione trudged through the forest, not entirely aware of where her feet were taking her. As she got deeper, it got colder and darker; the pain beginning to spread even more. She tried to keep her mind off of everything and focus on placing one foot in front of the next. After walking for at least half an hour she came across a clearing and decided to stay here until…well, until it happened. She sat down on a tree stump in one corner and quite literally started twiddling her thumbs, wishing she had at least brought a book to keep her busy.

And then it all started to happen. A fine ray of moonlight lit up the ground in front of her and almost immediately her heart began to thump hard and fast inside her chest. Her breathing turned more into a rasping and she felt sick with pain. Her back began to hunch over and she fell onto all fours, panting quickly. She felt her legs get longer and heard the leggings rip. And then her arms began to lengthen and thin out, stretching out in front of her. Her chest grew and her back hunched even more. She heard the t-shirt rip and fall to the ground. The pain that was radiating through all of her limbs was agonising. She almost found herself wishing for her death. She hadn't experienced this much pain. In front of her eyes, her hands turned into paws and long claws sprouted forwards. She felt the same happen to her feet. And then the pain spread to her face, which began to lengthen, a snout forming. Her skin began to prickle and the last thing Hermione Granger the witch was aware of was the dark brown hair appearing all over her body.

Hermione Granger the wolf found herself standing on her back legs in the middle of a clearing in a forest. She let out a howl of freedom, she had finally been let loose and by Merlin was she going to make the most of it. She let out another howl and was met with a gust of wind that rippled through her hairs. Without warning the wolf then took off into the words, running through the unknown chasing down scents she had never experienced, mostly of various prey that she feasted on over the course of the night. She felt free and more alive than she had ever and it excited her as her paws thundered through the forest, not caring about the scratches from the bushes on her body.

The werewolf didn't come across anything bigger than a badger, that unfortunately met its fate earlier than expected as it crossed the path of a hungry wolf. Hermione the wolf was relieved as although she felt like a werewolf and was excited by the freedom the thought of coming across anything much bigger or stronger than a badger didn't fill her with excitement. She was aware, however, that that would change in the future as she got stronger and began to feel more confident. But for tonight, Hermione Granger the wolf was happy to just run through the woods, twisting and turning among the trees.

[-||-]

Over 1000 miles away, another werewolf was running through the night. This one, however, was tinged with copper around the muzzle and was running through fields and alongside a river rather than in a forest. This werewolf had managed to take some Wolfsbane potion, albeit not quite the recommended dosage and still had wolf thoughts and feelings. However, he was mostly fully aware of what he was doing and running along the riverbank was something that always made him feel the freest and what he enjoyed doing the most on the full moon nights. The thought of simply curling up in his bedroom and sleeping for the night bored him. If you're going to turn into a creature like a werewolf every month you might as well make the most of it, well, at least that was his thinking and he had stuck by it for the past 5 years since he had been bitten.

The wolf suddenly stopped running and stood there, sniffing at the air. He could smell something; something he had never sensed before, something that intrigued him. But he just couldn't pinpoint what it was, or even where it was coming from. He tried following the scent, stopping every now and again to make sure he didn't lose it. He felt like he was going in circles, noticing the exact same Fir trees in the same place every so often. This smell fascinated him, it smelt almost like human, but it also didn't smell like human at all. If he was in his human form, he would probably have been able to identify the smell what with his heightened knowledge despite his sense of smell being so much stronger as a wolf.

The lone wolf didn't realise how long he had been trying to trace the smell until he noticed the sky begin to turn a little lighter. He didn't want to give up but if he carried on he would have one hell of a long walk back home in a human form and that was not something that he fancied. So reluctantly, the wolf turned around and ran back along the river until he reached the woods nearby his house where he stayed until he turned painfully back into his human form. He found the pile of clothes he had hidden, he had figured that out the hard way his first night of transformation when he turned back into a human and had no clothes to put back on for his 1km walk back home. He had a number of interesting looks and had had to come up with a story that would be believable, something about a drunken escapade including skinny-dipping with the girl running off with all his clothes.

Once the human got back home, he was relieved to see it was only 6:30 in morning, the benefits of the early sunrises in summer, and he had just over two hours until he needed to be at work, so he decided to take a nap. But his brain wouldn't let him sleep; he was still trying to figure out that new smell. It was definitely some kind of creature but one that was miles and miles away. Just as his alarm went off to make sure he'd get up and get to work on time he figured it out. It was another werewolf, a new one and it was their first full moon. But they were an incredibly long way away and he just couldn't work out how he was able to smell them, he had never been able to smell something so far away before and it intrigued him; a reason to hit up the library that weekend.

[-||-]

500 miles east of Hermione, Remus Lupin was stood in the clearing out the back of his house. He had given Teddy to Harry for the night. Yes, he may have taken the Wolfsbane potion, but werewolves are unpredictable and at times are still able to be prevalent at the forefront of the mind rather than the human. The last thing Remus wanted was to hurt, bite or even kill his only son, so each full moon Teddy Lupin would be spending the night at his godfather's, at least for the foreseeable future.

Remus had been through 442 transformations in his lifetime, but it still didn't make it any easier. Yes, the Wolfsbane lessened the pain but it was still excruciating and it he was never able to feel prepared. This time was particularly bad as the transformation can be affected by emotions felt by the human, particularly grief. It had been less than a month since he had lost his wife and Remus was riddled with grief. He let out a frustrated howl once a werewolf and was grateful the wards around his property were strong enough to ensure it wasn't heard by anyone nearby. He took off west into the large forest his house was strategically built nearby. He spent the entire night running rampage around the forest, feasting on suitable prey but constantly thinking about his pack mate. He could sense her. It was an odd smell he had caught, distinctively Hermione but also not at all. He figured it was because he had never smelt Hermione the wolf and her new scent took him off guard. He was relieved to know that she was fine, however, and from what his wolfish senses told him, she was almost enjoying herself. Remus the wolf let out a small smile, which would have looked very odd to anyone seeing a wolf smile. But Remus was just relieved that everything was OK, and she was fine, at least for now. Knowing that Hermione was safe, Remus took off into the forest for a quick run before coming back and curling up for a few hours of sleep.

[-||-]

Her wolfish senses made sure that Hermione found the tree stump she had transformed by that evening as the night sky began to lighten. As the first ray of sun broke through the dense canopy above, Hermione began to feel her appendages shrink, her face get smaller and the hair disappear. A few moments later, Hermione the witch collapsed to the floor with exhaustion, somewhat surprised at how much the transformations took out of her. It felt as if her brain was not functioning, so it took a while to for her realise that she was lying on her back in the middle of a forest clearing, panting as if she had just run a marathon, completely naked.

"Shit," she swore as she sat up and tried to cover up what she was able to with her arms. She groaned as she thought of the long walk back to the hut in the woods. As she stood up, another realisation hit here: she wasn't entirely sure where the hut was. And she didn't have her wand to either help her find the hut or transfigure some leaves into clothing.

"Well, I've really messed this one up," she said out loud letting out a yawn. Ensuring her arms covered as much of her body as they could she started trudging in the direction she had believed the hut to be, praying to Merlin that it wasn't too far, and she wouldn't come across any other human on her way.

Fortunately, the only living beings she came across were a couple of rabbits and a deer, but she held her head up high and continued walking, in which direction she had no idea. It felt like she had been walking for hours, making no progress and beginning to feel completely shattered. Her body ached, her mind was shutting down, and she couldn't really feel her legs moving one in front of the other. She just needed to find the bloody hut and get into bed. The longer it took, the more frustrated Hermione was getting. The sun was high in the sky now, beating down through the canopy and increasing the pounding headache Hermione was experiencing.

After a good while walking, in what she was hoping was vaguely the right direction, she decided to take a quick rest. She slid down the trunk of a large oak tree, scraping her back, but she no longer cared. As she pressed the back of her head against the tree, she closed her eyes and let her mind wonder back to the night just gone. She wasn't entirely sure what to think of it, it had surprised her at how amazing it had felt; the feeling of freedom as she ran through the forest, hunting the pests and just feeling completely limitless. No worries about horcruxes, the impending war and trying to keep Harry alive. She just got to be herself, in wolf form, and she felt bad to say just how amazing it had felt.

Her eyes snapped open as her something wafted past her nose. She cast a quick look around as she jumped to her feet. She couldn't pinpoint the smell, neither what it was nor from which direction it was coming from. But there was a part of her that felt comforted by it – it didn't seem dangerous and the most she got used to it the more familiar it seemed. Not entirely sure of where she was headed, she began to follow the smell, it getting stronger the further she walked.

As she trekked through the forest, bits and pieces began to seem more familiar such as the two fallen branches, the patch of buttercups in a perfect circle, how the trees got thinner but closer together. Her heart began to race as more and more was recognisable. After about 15 minutes, Hermione walked through a dense area of trees and found herself facing the place she had wanted to be ever since her transformation back into a human. She hurried around to the other side of the hut, dug around under the bush and pulled out her wand. She quickly unlocked the door and pushed it open. It was clear that after one experience as a werewolf, all her senses were heightened as she was experiencing smells she hadn't smelt prior to last night, but they were just smells of herself, burnt cauldrons and dampness. She knew she needed sustenance, having run out of food the previous day but all she wanted right now was her bed. She made her way over to her makeshift wardrobe, pulled out a pair of shorts and a jumper and jumped into bed. Her head barely touched the pillow before she was unconscious, ready to sleep for the next 18 hours.


	5. Chapter 5

**Before anyone says anything, I do know that for Hermione to have become a full werewolf, Greyback would have needed to be in wolf-form but for the sake of this story we're just going to skip over that fact please! A bit of a filler, but hope you enjoy it nonetheless - please leave a review (if you want!)**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 5**

Hermione awoke the next morning to her stomach rumbling loudly for food. She hadn't eaten in almost 48 hours so hurried to the cupboards to find them almost bare. She managed to scramble around and find a few biscuits and tomatoes to satisfy her hunger but knew she would have to make a trip into the village to refill the cupboards.

Once she had showered and freshened up, Hermione quickly cast a glamour spell on herself so she wouldn't be identified and disapparated to the edge of the appeared by the side of a road and figuring it would lead her to the village she walked down it.

About half an hour later, Hermione found herself at the end of a small high street lined with shops and restaurants. She went into the first café she walked past and picked up a cup of coffee. Hermione wandered down the high street, peering into the shops and catching snippets of German and English conversations, sipping at her coffee. She was just about to turn into a second-hand bookstore when she did a double take. Standing just inside the door, browsing the shelves was the man she both wanted to see and didn't want to see. Her hesitation was what cost her as the man turned around inside the shop and spotted her staring in. He smiled at her pushed open the door, the bell sounding as the door opened. The man nodded at her as he took the few steps to where she was standing.

"It's good to see you, Hermione," he whispered in her ear. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and she stared up at her old professor. How on earth could he have identified her? She had cast a glamour over her that lasted up to 12 hours, which she had tried and tested multiple times. There was no way she looked like her.

"You forgot about your eyes," he smiled understanding the look of shock. Hermione groaned, of course she had. The one day she was coming to the village she had forgotten to glamour her rather recognisable round, chocolate brown eyes. He straightened up.

"Would you care to join me for a traditional German breakfast?" he asked. Unable to speak she nodded and took off following Remus Lupin down the street and into a small, dimly lit café.

"So, how are you Hermione?" he asked, ten minutes later once they had found a table and ordered a breakfast.

"All things considered, not too bad," she said shrugging off her coat. "How are you doing?"

"I'm well, thank you. I would be better if you came back to the UK if only to get Harry and the Weasleys off my back," he said with a lopsided smile. Hermione studied her old Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Despite the greying hair and ragged robes, he did look well, his eyes had an unnatural spark and his skin wasn't as pale.

"I'm sorry, but I…I need time. I can't go to them and tell them what happened, they'd never look at me the same. And I can't bear the thought of it getting to the press and everyone finding out and shunning me. Everyone already has negative feelings towards me because of my parents, being a werewolf will only make things worse – I won't be able to get a job or live a normal life or anything," Hermione said morosely, looking down at the table to avoid Remus' look.

"That would never happen, Hermione. The Weasleys love you all so much and would continue to despite what happened and they would help protect you from the press. You shouldn't let something like this stop you from being a part of the family. Everyone, and I mean everyone, misses you. They want to know you're safe. They haven't stopped looking for you, and I can't see them ever stopping." Hermione managed to look up and was surprised to see the ferocity in Remus' eyes.

"I can't do it, Remus. I just can't. I need a bit more time to myself." Remus frowned at her and she was saved a response as the waitress brought over their breakfasts in silence. Hermione started to eat straight away, still famished but also not wanting to continue the conversation with the elder werewolf. She was struggling to explain her reasoning for disappearing, even to herself. She knew she sounded pathetic and knew that the chances of the Weasleys not treating her the same was minimal, but she just couldn't shake the negative feelings away.

"How did you even find me?" she finally asked after a long while of quiet.

"It was difficult. But the other night helped a lot. As you are probably now aware, your senses are considerably heightened during the nights of the full moon and I was able to sense you a long way towards the east. I remembered you saying a few years back about how you preferred your holidays to the Black Forest in Germany than to France with your parents so I figured I may as well start here. And well the closer I got to you the stronger you were until I knew you were in the village this morning," Remus explained. Hermione nodded in understanding.

"There's something else as well. I'm sure you know everything about werewolves now, well let's be honest you knew everything before all this happened," Remus laughed, and Hermione couldn't hold back her smile. He wasn't exactly lying, she hadn't learnt many new things since she started reading more after the Battle. "So, you know about pack mates?" Hermione gulped as she nodded, she had a suspicious feeling she knew where this conversation was going. "Truth be told Hermione you're more than just an ex-student to me, I began to see you more of a friend, a rock really. You kept me sane during your third year, you were the one to get me buck up my courage and date, and later marry, Tonks." Remus' eyes twitched and they became laced with sorrow at the name of his now dead wife. He took a moment to recover before continuing. "You began to feel like a daughter I never had, and now…now, I think…no, I know…you're one of my pack mates." He let out a sigh and they locked eyes.

"Right," was all Hermione was able to say.

"But just to clarify that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be one of your pack mates. It could take years for you to develop your pack, as I'm sure you know. Although you'll now have a stronger connection with me through my pack, I don't want to pressure you to do anything you don't want. I don't want to force anything upon you, and if you want you can forget about this new link. I was reading something somewhere recently about pack mates and how if you cease connection for about 6 months, the link never develops into the strong bond that would be normal of other pack mates so if that's what you want to do, we can. But I just thought you should know," Remus finished with a sigh. Hermione sat there, a little stunned. What exactly would it mean to be in Remus' pack? Obviously she knew the basics of a pack; like feeling the emotions of other mates, a the sense of duty and the ability to communicate non-verbally but other than that she wasn't sure what to expect.

"If we were to develop this bond, what would happen?" Hermione questioned.

"Good question. I'm not entirely sure as it varies between pack mates and would be different to what I get with my other mates but in short we'll have a closer connection, be able to experience each other's feelings, maybe communicate non-verbally but that's quite rare. I assume we'll know when each other are in danger, have even heightened senses towards each other and be able to get to their aid faster, and perhaps even when they're not in need," Remus explained. Hermione sat there for a while mulling over what he had said before asking a question.

"Who are you pack mates now?"

"I've got a very small pack. It's just you, if you accept, Bill, and one other half-werewolf a bit like Bill and one full werewolf like you and me. James, Sirius and Tonks were all part of my packs but obviously no longer and I reckon Teddy will become a member of my pack when he's older." Hermione nodded. Truth be told she was confused. She didn't know what to think. A part of her wanted to be in Remus' pack, she liked the thought of easy communication and such but the thought of feeling each other's emotions and knowledge of when they're in danger did frighten her a little.

"I don't really know what I want," she finally said after finishing her eggs.

"I get that, how about you think about it and let me know by owl or something over the next week or so?" Remus suggested. Hermione sighed but nodded, it would be good to think about it herself.

"It wouldn't have any negative connotations me 'rejecting' the connection?" she asked sheepishly and was slightly embarrassed when Remus let out a bark of laughter.

"No, none at all. We probably will still have a connection, but it will be minor." Hermione nodded. The duo sat in silence for a while, Hermione simply enjoying the company of another human being and Remus examining her carefully.

"I should probably get going. I need to get some food and head back so I can start to work on the potion again," Hermione finally said pushing her chair out and standing up.

"That reminds me, I brought you some extra Wolfsbane. I didn't know whether you had managed to brew any yet so brought some in any case." Remus pulled out a large vial from his overcoat.

"That'll do the next three full months, you just need to heat it up until it's boiling before taking it," he told her handing it over. "And if you need more, just ask. After so many years I've finally got the knack of brewing it and can easily send you some."

"Thank you. I've been trying but haven't succeeded yet, hopefully this month it will work," Hermione said gratefully as she took the vial and put it into her beaded bag.

"I have no doubt you will succeed," Remus said with a small smile. "I was great to see you Hermione. Please don't forget I am at only the other end of an owl. Stay safe, little one." Remus wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her close.

"I will," Hermione whispered into his chest, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. "See you, Remus." Hermione pulled away and with one last smile, pulled her jacket tight and left the café. Remus watched her walk down the street until she turned into the supermarket and out of his sight. Struggling to keep the tears at bay, he threw down a handful of muggle Euros and followed the bushy haired girl out of the café but turned left towards a deserted alley and disapparated back to the German Ministry.

[-||-]

The Sunday after the first full moon since the Battle of Hogwarts found Harry sat in between Ron and Ginny at the small kitchen table in the Burrow. As he took the carrots from Fred, the two empty chairs caught his eye, one belonging to Charlie, who was still in Romania, and the other to Hermione, who was still missing. Harry nearly dropped the plate of vegetables as his mind aimlessly wandered back to the days Hermione was around. He missed her dearly, and knew everyone else did, but he also knew she was still alive, wherever she was. He suddenly stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the lino floor. The chatter died down immediately, and Harry felt everyone's faces on him. He blushed.

"I need to go to Australia," he said looking around.

"What?" Ron asked from his left elbow.

"I need to go to Australia. It's where Hermione sent her parents, she may be there with them. I need to check she's OK," he said. "I'll be back, soon." He turned around and promptly left the kitchen. He had almost reached the fireplace before he felt a hand grab his elbow. He turned around angrily only to be surprised at the look on Ron's face.

"You really think you're going alone?" he asked. Harry stood there, not saying a word. "Well, mate, hate to break it to you but I was her best friend too. I'm coming with you." Harry smiled.

"Great, but no one else," he said raising his eyebrows as he saw the twins' open their mouths behind Ron. They shut them quickly, looking like blowing fish, and nodded slowly. Harry turned on his heel, threw a handful of floo powder into the grate before stepping in and shouting 'The Ministry'.

[-||-]

"Are you sure that's them?" Ron asked Harry, as they stood across from a small dentist in the outskirts of Melbourne.

"Almost 100%."

"Almost? ALMOST 100%. Bloody hell, Harry. If you've dragged me across the entire country for an almost, I swear to Merlin –"

"Ron, shut up," Harry cut across his best friend. The door to said dentist opened a middle-aged female with thick, brown hair and chocolate brown eyes stepped out into the sunlight. She pulled her sunglasses on and started walking down the road. Harry and Ron quickly followed her, making sure to keep a safe distance.

"Are we sure that's 'Monica Wilkins'?" Ron whispered.

"I feel the bushy hair, and the fact she works at 'Wilkins' Dentistry' is a bit of a giveaway," Harry growled back. The duo watched as Monica Wilkins turned into a small café. Harry looked over at Ron and nodded. Their time was now; it was now or never. They followed bushy-haired woman into the café and cast an eye around the cool, dark room. They spotted her sat in the corner reading down the dinner menu. They exchanged one more glance before walking towards the table.

"I'm very sorry to bother you, madam, but I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions," Harry said as they reached the woman they had been looking for for quite a while. Monica Wilkins looked up from the menu and peered through her thick glasses into Harry's bright green eyes. Harry was sure he saw a look of recognition flit across her face before she nodded and beckoned for him to sit down opposite him.

"What can I help you with young man?" she asked, an obviously British accent hidden behind a slight Australian twang.

"Do you recognise this girl?" Harry asked, pulling a photo from his pocket to show the dentist. It was a photo of Hermione he had cut out of The Daily Prophet a while ago and charmed to stop moving. He passed it across the table and waited with bated breath.

"I would be lying if I said she doesn't look familiar. But why I wouldn't be able to say," she muttered quietly after a while. Harry's heart leapt in his chest when she said she looked familiar but immediately sank as it made it sound like she hadn't seen her recently.

"This is Hermione. She knew you a few years back. She's our best friend you see but she's gone missing and we haven't been able to find her anywhere. She mentioned about some friends of her parents, they're dentists you see, in Melbourne and we thought there's a chance you may have heard from her or seen her recently, in the past 6 weeks or so," Harry explained. They had decided that telling her about Hermione as her daughter who was a witch would have been too shocking and probably not resulted in the right answers so had settled with a slightly different story.

"Yes, I have a vague recollection of her, those slightly larger front teeth and very round eyes are quite distinctive. But I definitely haven't seen her, or heard from a Hermione, ever since we came over here, and that was what 13 months ago or so. I'm sorry I couldn't be a help, and I really do hope you find your friend," she said, and to Harry the apology did seem sincere. It also seemed like the end of the conversation.

"Right, well thank you very much for your help and once again I'm sorry to have bothered you. Have a good day," Harry said pushing his seat back and standing up. They exchanged a smile and he and Ron headed back into the Australian sun.

"Well that was a bloody waste of time," Ron exhaled as they walked down the street. Harry groaned.

"Yeah, but she recognised Hermione. I think the memory charm will be easily reversed though," Harry added as an afterthought.

"I don't think we can reverse it, tell them their daughter is missing and just leave," Ron said.

"No, of course not. I have no intention of reversing the charm. But if the occasion arose, I don't think it will be as impossible as Hermione thought it would be." The two friends walked through the streets of Melbourne in silence, completely defeated. That had been one of their last chances, if not the last chance, of finding Hermione and it had failed.


	6. Chapter 6

**I can't believe how well this story is doing at the moment, so many of you following/favourited/reviewing it, it makes me so happy and makes me want to carry on writing it and posting it! Don't forget to leave a review - each one acts as a bit more motivation! Enjoy the new chapter**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 6**

Another full moon had just passed, the wolf in Eastern Europe making no progress on the scent, Remus forever anxious about his packmate having not heard anything from her since they met for breakfast, and Hermione slowly getting accustomed to this whole 'wolf' thing. It had taken a while, but she was now used to her heightened senses, especially her ability to smell fresh meat from miles away, and how she was able to see in the dark without the need of a light or her ability to experience tastes she'd never experienced before. It had been a tough month, with no contact to the outside world except her weekly trips into the village of Kinzig for supplies and the frustration at the Wolfsbane potion. She had got further than ever before, and just before the full moon believed she had got to the final stage before adding the fairy wings, but the timing of the full moon hadn't helped her and so she found herself sat in front of the simmering cauldron on the morning of Friday 11th July.

It was just as she was adding the first lot of powdered silver that she heard something, something she didn't want to hear. It sounded like footsteps, and the sounded close; within a few hundred metres. Hermione froze, her hand just above the cauldron; what was she going to do? She cast a quick eye around the small cabin, it was clearly inhabited, and she wouldn't have time to clear out. The crunching of leaves and breaking of twigs was getting closer. Whoever it was had seen the hut and was heading straight for it; she didn't have any time to do anything. She quickly added the powder and banished the cauldron to the far corner of the room, it was fortunate she had a couple of hours before she had to doing anything more. She quickly cleared away the ingredients and any other sign of magic, primarily the potion book and other spell and healing books. She tucked her wand up her sleeve, not wanting to part with that, and waited as she saw the figure walk towards the front door. She cocked her head to the side as he looked up, he looked horribly familiar.

The door unlocked with a click and Hermione's suspicions were confirmed, it was a wizard. She never left the door unlocked and with no key hole it was only possible to enter through the use of magic. She silently pulled her wand out from her sleeve and raised it slightly, pointing it towards the door and where the man would enter in a few moments. Her heart was hammering in her chest, racing at 200 beats a minute. Her hand was clammy with sweat, beads trickling down her back. She was beginning to shake with apprehension.

The door opened and he entered. Hermione watched from the corner as he looked around, his wand held in front, a dim light at its tip. Hermione took a step out of the shadows.

"What the – Granger?" he said, shocked to see a tatty Hermione standing in front of him, a wand pointing straight at his forehead.

"What…what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound confident but couldn't stop her voice from shaking.

"I could ask you the exact same question," the man said coolly giving off an air of arrogance. Hermione rolled her eyes, typical. She didn't answer so he spoke again. "I was enjoying a nice walk in the woods and decided to rest here for the night, if you must know. Now, what are you doing here? You do know everyone in the Wizarding World is looking for you." Hermione gulped, guilt filling her.

"I…I needed…I needed time," she stammered, lowering her wand a touch.

"Who would have thought, the brains behind the Golden Trio needed time. There's got to be another reason," he smirked.

"Are you on the run, Malfoy?" she finally asked.

"Me? Running away? As if. I received a full pardon just last week because of my help in the war," the blonde-haired Draco Malfoy sneered, now pocketing his wand.

"You? A full pardon? Help in the war? No need to lie to me, ferret," Hermione said sternly, not putting her wand away.

"You would be surprised, but that can be a story for another day. Judging by the looks of you, you've been here since when, the end of the war. So I have a question, have you got food?" he asked walking towards the cupboards.

"Help yourself," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She did, however, put her wand away. He may still be Draco Malfoy, but there was something about him that made her feel comfortable in his presence. Probably something to do with her heightened senses.

"Biscuits?" he asked, taking a pack from a cupboard and walking towards one of the armchairs.

"Yeah, alright then," Hermione said taking one gratefully and collapsing into the chair he wasn't heading to. They sat in silence, Malfoy eating biscuit after biscuit and Hermione just staring anywhere than at the Slytherin.

"You going to tell me why you're here?" Malfoy finally asked, brushing the crumbs off his grey trousers. Hermione shook her head, the last person she wanted to know about her was Malfoy. He would disappear to The Daily Prophet immediately after she told him, and she couldn't have that.

"OK, then. I guess everyone has their own secrets." At this Hermione looked up and was surprised to see the look in Malfoy's eyes. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it looked like something between guilt, confusion and sadness.

"Why are _you_ here Malfoy?" she inquired quietly. There was silence for a bit, both of them looking straight into the others' eyes.

"I needed to get away. Like I said, I got a full pardon and I think I needed time to come to terms with everything and decide how to change my life for the better," he said, almost sadly.

"You're going to change your life for the better?" Hermione repeated, shocked to have heard that. Malfoy nodded.

"The past two years were hell for me. I was forced to do things I never wanted to do. I watched people I loved, yes I have the ability to love, also be forced to do things they didn't want to do. I watched them get tortured and I knew I needed an out. That's why, when it got to the battle, I stopped fighting as a Death Eater, and started fighting against them. I knew I would never survive if Potter didn't win because of my 'betrayal' and I didn't think I was capable of being that appreciative of him, but he quite literally saved my arse. It was because of him I didn't get sent to Azkaban. He came to my trial, told the jury about the time at the Manor, how he saw me fighting with him at the battle, and how he believed I needed a second chance. So, I'm here instead. It's going to take time to work out what I'm going to do, but in a weird kind of way I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to a better life, one where I can do what I want, I've never been able to do that, not since I was a young boy." Draco let out a sigh and Hermione was surprised to see how vulnerable he looked.

"I…I'm not quite sure what to say. But I'm glad you've come to your senses and you're trying to change, good for you," she finally said.

"Thank you," Draco replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. Hermione was just about to open her mouth to ask him something when there was a loud explosion from just behind the chair Malfoy was sitting in.

"What the? Bloody hell, Granger, you still trying to kill me?" Malfoy shouted as he jumped out of his seat. It took all of her strength not to laugh at the look on his face.

"No! Not at all. I've been working on a potion. And well, I think that's the end of that batch," she said sadly, confused why it hadn't worked, when she had been so successful with it recently. Malfoy looked behind him and knew she wasn't lying, a melted cauldron was sat in the corner, a silvery liquid spilling over the floor. He lazily flicked his wand and the mess disappeared.

"What are you trying to brew that would cause and explosion like that?" Malfoy asked turning back to Hermione.

"I can't say," she said quietly, looking down at her feet.

"You know, potions was my best OWL and I was on track for some pretty good results in my NEWT. I can help, if you really need," he said smirking. Not for the first time that afternoon, Hermione found herself surprised by his comment.

"No, it's OK. I'll get there in the end, I probably shouldn't have put it there in the dark, it needs light to brew properly," Hermione responded morosely.

"Whatever suits you." The sat in silence once again, this one less awkward and more comfortable than before, until Hermione asked what she had been dying to ask since he had first arrived.

"You said Harry was at your trial. How was he? Have you seen anyone else?" Malfoy didn't answer straight away.

"He seemed fine from what I could tell. We've exchanged a couple of owls since and, well, I dunno. I don't really know him normally so don't know what's not normal, you know?" Hermione nodded, another wave of guilt and sadness washing over her. She had let him down; she had let everyone down and there was no way she could get back from this. "I've seen a few of the Weasel's and that oaf of a giant and some professors but not many."

"You know, if you're wanting to change, you should stop calling everyone by names and treat them with respect," Hermione commented, bitterness evident in her voice.

"Right, yes, I guess you're right." Draco nodded his head. Once again, silence filled the cabin, and darkness ensued as the sun began to set and it wasn't long before Hermione lit a fire and began making dinner, this time for herself and her unlikely guest, who she was beginning to see in a different light than the past seven years.

[-||-]

"THAT GIT GOT A FULL PARDON?" Ron shouted as he read the headline of The Daily Prophet, it finally reporting the recent trial results of the Death Eaters.

"He's changed Ron. He was fighting for us during the battle. He wants to change," Harry sighed taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Malfoy's trial hadn't been the first, nor was it the last, he had attended and like always Harry had been sworn to secrecy to not tell anyone the results until an official statement had been made.

"He's changed, my arse-"

"RONALD WEASLEY. You watch your language, or you'll be getting mouthful of soap," Mrs. Weasley growled from the sink.

"But it can't be true. There's no way he'd want to change. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about," Ron said, his temper still high and his voice loud.

"Yes, I know, Ron. But like I said he was fighting against Voldemort at the end, not with him. I saw it with my own lives. He's the reason we made it out of Malfoy Manor. He's the reason the snake died. He's the reason we won," Harry explained as he began to eat his breakfast.

"But –"

"No but's Ron. It's happened, it's in the past. He's changed and you're going to see more of him whether you like it or not," Harry said, signalling the end of the conversation. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but the looks from both Harry and Ginny silenced him and he began to stuff bacon into his mouth instead.

"Have you heard anything from the Aurors, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley finally asked. Harry could tell she had been wanting to ask him for a while now but never got it out.

"I have, but nothing good. They haven't found her or any trace of her. And legally, they have to stop next week. They're only allowed to spend resources on looking for missing persons for two months, after which, well, they have to stop," Harry said sadly. He had spoken to Kingsley just the other day, having got an owl from him asking him to meet the head Auror.

"They've got to be having a laugh. They can't give up. This is Hermione Granger they're looking for. She's part of The Golden Trio. She helped win the war just as much as you did," Ginny said, tears spilling out of her eyes, her voice raising.

"That doesn't matter, Gin. She's not a Death Eater, she's not a threat to society so if they can't find her after two months of looking, they legally have to stop. It's been a law for centuries," Harry responded gloomily.

"It won't stop us looking, though," Mrs. Weasley said, trying to brighten the mood of the kitchen.

"No, we can carry on. And we need to. But I think we need to start thinking about going further afield. The chances of her being in the UK is, well, it's very slim," Harry said pushing his food away suddenly not hungry.

"We can't lose hope. She'll be out there. And she'll be fine. She is Hermione after all."

"Easier said than done, Gin. Right I'm off to see Kingsley about this trainee job with the Aurors I told you about the other night," Harry pushed his chair back and stood up. He planted a quick kiss on the top of Ginny's head, waved goodbye to Ron and Mrs. Weasley and headed to the fireplace to floo over to the ministry to start his Auror training. He needed something to do and he needed to keep his mind busy and he needed it to start asap.

[-||-]

Hermione finished making dinner and together, she and Draco Malfoy sat down to eat, something Hermione would never have envisioned herself doing.

"How long have you been here, Granger?" Draco asked after a few mouthfuls.

"Ever since the war. I used to come camping to the Black Forest with my parents when I was younger, so it was the first place I thought of when I disapparated. I stumbled across this hut a few days later and have lived here ever since," Hermione explained.

"I see. I have to say, I would have expected you to have kept a much tidier hut," Malfoy said with a laugh.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's just you're you. You're Miss Know-it-all, Miss Perfect, I just would have expected you to be a bit of a neat freak," Malfoy explained through mouthfuls of lamb. Hermione couldn't supress a laugh.

"This is tidy for me. I think because I'm so organised in my brain, that I'm a mess outside of my own head." Malfoy snorted at her comment and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not going to lie. When I set off on my adventure, I was not expecting to find myself eating dinner in a hut in the middle of a forest with a Gryffindor," Malfoy finally said after they'd eaten for a while in silence.

"Well, if you're wanting to change it's a pretty good way to start," Hermione added.

"I guess."

Malfoy?"

"Granger?"

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"Umm…I can leave now if you want."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind. I was just wondering because there's only one bed, and well, I'm not sure that's very suitable," Hermione said blushing bright red. Malfoy let out a loud laugh, a sound Hermione had never heard come from him.

"The floor doesn't bother me. If it's OK I stay for a little while, otherwise I'm not sure where I'd go."

"No, of course you can stay. If you're wanting to become a different you, it'll be easier if someone helps you in any case, stop you from your awful habits," Hermione said far too quickly that it took a moment for even herself to register what she'd just said.

"Awful habits? I don't have any awful habits," Malfoy said defensively. Hermione let out a laugh before she started reeling off a long list of bad habits Draco Malfoy had accumulated over his lifetime so far, and so their friendship began.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy with other things on my mind but hope you enjoy the new chapter. It's definitely not my favourite but hopefully it's OK!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 7**

Hermione could smell him return before she heard the door unlock so she had just a few seconds to put away her potion book. She had decided that whilst Malfoy was staying with her, she wouldn't continue attempting the Wolfsbane but rather read up on it more and understand the theory behind it in the hopes it would help once she started again, but she still couldn't let him find out what she was brewing.

"You're back early," she said with surprise as Malfoy threw a backpack onto the counter. He had refused to take her beaded bag shopping, so she had added the extension charms to an old rucksack she had found under the bed for him to use.

"I gave up after the butchers. The crowd was too much for me to cope. Everyone was walking into me and it was taking a lot not blast everyone away," he groaned pulling out a beer from the fridge and collapsing into an armchair.

"I'm impressed you managed to contain yourself, the old Malfoy would have blasted everyone to smithereens," Hermione said with a laugh as she unzipped the bag and started pulling out the sausages and chicken from inside.

"Not true, at least not in a muggle town," Malfoy said irritated.

"Well, it is what you get when you don't do the grocery shopping on a Saturday and have to go on the Sunday when there's the biggest market of the year on," Hermione said with a laugh.

"It's not my fault I spent all of yesterday fixing this hut to make it slightly more liveable in." It had been less than 24 hours since Malfoy arrived, and he was already insisting on transforming the small cabin into something much larger and more luxurious. Although Hermione had argued incessantly about it, there was a part of her that was glad. It had been small and crowded with two people and now they could move around each other more easily and there was generally just more space.

"Hmmm."

"Come on, even you would admit you like it better now," he said with his usual smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes, but it was true. She definitely preferred it like this.

"So, what's the plan for this afternoon then?" Malfoy asked from his armchair.

"I was planning on going for a walk. You can join if you want, or you don't have to," Hermione responded from the kitchenette where she was preparing some lunch.

"Sounds good to me. As long as it's not in the town."

An hour later, Hermione found herself walking along a beaten down track she had found a few weeks back that led to stream and waterfall, alongside none other than Draco Malfoy. It may have been over 36 hours since he had arrived, but she still couldn't get her head around the fact that she was actually in his company and not wanting to strangle him. They had actually found out they had a fair bit in common and both enjoyed each other's company.

"Are we there yet?" Malfoy moaned not for the first time since they had left the hut. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No." Malfoy kicked at the ground in a huff. Hermione had learnt the long way that he majorly lacked any kind of patience or sense of adventure.

"Not far though. Maybe five minutes," she said and almost instantly Malfoy's mood lightened, and he picked up the pace. Hermione sniggered and also sped up to keep up with him. It was like being back with Harry and Ron, their long legs taking up half the number of strides as her short ones and she almost found herself at a jog to keep up. They walked in silence the rest of the way until Hermione veered off the track and pushed apart a bush to reach the waterfall. It had rained a fair amount over the last week, so the stream was high and the waterfall flowing fast.

"Wow, this is pretty cool if I must say so myself," Draco said in awe. Hermione put down the beaded back and kicked off her sandals. She walked over to the waterfall, climbed over a few rocks until she was at the edge of the pool underneath and sat down, her feet dangling in the water. She heard footsteps behind her and knew Malfoy had followed her lead. He sat down next to her and they stayed there in silence, the only noise the crashing water and birds above.

"You know, this is kind of peaceful," Malfoy said. "Good find, Granger."

"Do you have to keep calling me by my surname? I much prefer Hermione if I'm honest," she said as she kicked her feet about in the water.

"Sorry. But maybe you could call me Draco as well? Malfoy reminds me of who I'm related to."

"It's a deal," Hermione said with a broad smile and stuck out her right hand. Draco took it in his and they shook on it. Hermione lazily summoned her bag and delved in deeply. She rummaged around for a bit until she found the cool bottle and pulled out a large jug of elderflower presse. She then pulled out a bag of grapes, punnet of strawberries and some Battenberg cake.

"I know we just ate, but you can't come to a place like this and not have some kind of picnic," she said seeing Draco's questioning look.

"Plus, if you're like any other teenage boy your stomach will be rumbling within the next twenty minutes," she added with a laugh as she poured the elderflower into two plastic mugs. As if on cue, there was a loud rumble from Draco's stomach causing Hermione to let out a laugh as his ears turned a light pink. It didn't surprise her either that he shook his head to her offering of grapes and greedily took a slice of cake and stuffed half of it into his mouth.

"You know, you're really quite similar to both Ronald and a pig," Hermione said popping a grape into her mouth. She almost received a face full of chewed up food as Draco spat the cake out.

"I am not," he retorted indignantly.

"How you're eating right now I would disagree. You really are," Hermione said with a slight giggle. "It's really not that attractive."

"Fine." Draco then picked up his piece of cake daintily and carefully tearing off a tiny corner before placing it elegantly in his mouth. He chewed it for a while and swallowed and went again. By the time he had finished the piece of cake he had Hermione quite literally rolling on the floor in laughter. He couldn't help but smirk at the situation.

It was what Hermione did next that surprised Draco the most, however. She stood up and pulled her pale blue t-shirt off revealing a green swimsuit. She shrugged off her shorts and threw them on top of her t-shirt. She then went to the edge of the rock, smiled at Draco and jumped. His eyes widened, not just in shock at what he had seen her do but also the size of the scar on her right shoulder, presumably from the battle. But it wasn't just a scar, there was something about it that was very distinctive, and Draco couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You joining?" Hermione's voice wafted up the rock to where Draco was still sat. Without a second thought he shed his grey polo shirt and shorts until he was just in his boxers. Sighing at what he was wearing he stood up and with a run he jumped off the edge, forming a cannonball in the air and sending a huge wave of water over Hermione when he hit the pool.

"Bloody hell, woman. It's freezing in here," he said, his teeth chattering as he broke the surface. All Hermione could do to answer was to laugh.

"It's not funny. We're going to die of frostbite if we don't get out now," he said angry at her reaction, but this only made her laugh harder.

"Relax, Draco. We're fine, trust me," she finally managed to get out through her laughter. Draco rolled his eyes but did as he was told and tried to relax. Once he found himself swimming around a bit, he found that the water really wasn't that cold and was surprisingly pleasant. The unusual friends swam around for what felt like only a half hour but in reality was a few hours until they noticed it start to get darker. Hermione cast drying and warming charms over them as they pulled back on their clothes and headed back to the hut, where Draco immediately lit a fire and collapsed in front of it, convinced it would be a while until he thawed.

[-||-]

It had been four weeks since Draco had arrived in the Black Forest and he honestly thought he wasn't going to leave. He loved the area. He loved the sense of freedom and the exploring of all the small German towns. And he was actually growing to enjoy the company of Hermione. She turned out to be a good laugh, someone who understood him. Someone who genuinely wanted to help him and cared about him. They actually had a fair bit in common and they spent most nights talking until the early hours of the morning.

But something was beginning to worry him about Hermione. She was seeming a bit off. She wasn't eating much at all and she was beginning to lose weight at a substantial rate. Her eyes were sunken, and he knew she wasn't sleeping; he had woken a number of times in the night to see a faint light from her bed and her reading a book. She wasn't as chatty and happy as she normally was, and she was taking pain potion as if it was juice. He was concerned. He hadn't seen her like this, and he didn't like what was happening to her in front of him and so he snapped, on the night of the 8th August, which happened to conveniently be a full moon.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're not eating, you're not sleeping. What's going on? Do I need to get you to a healer? Talk to me, Granger, I can help," he said fiercely as they sat at the table, his plate empty and hers still filled in food. His tone had caught her by surprise, and she felt tears sting her eyes. She tried to contain them but, in the end, just let them fall. She had been expecting this outburst for a week now.

"Nothing. I'm fine," she said, her voice hoarse and quiet.

"No. You're not fine. You're going to tell me what's wrong with you and you're going to let me help," Draco said sternly.

"Draco, please, just drop it. I promise, I'm fine. It's just the flu and I've taken care of it. I'll be fine in a few days," Hermione said, trying to make her voice sound as convincing as possible. She knew that he didn't believe her lie but she was grateful he didn't push it.

"Fine. But if you're not fine by Wednesday I am getting you to a healer, deal?" Hermione gulped. The past two months it had taken her 5 days to fully recover from a full moon so it was looking like she would be making a trip to a healer next Wednesday. No, she wasn't going to let that happen.

"Give me a week. Please," she pleaded with him, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"I'll give you a week. But only if you tell me that it has nothing to do with that scar on your shoulder. It's not infected is it?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock. How did he know about her scar? She had been so careful to always have it covered. That's when it hit her. The first time they went to the waterfall she hadn't kept her t-shirt on out of habit and he must have seen it then. She shook her head.

"No, it's not infected. It's a few years old, I got it when we broke into the ministry in our fifth year," she said hoping he would take her word for it. But the look in his grey eyes didn't convince her and she suspected that once again he wasn't believing her. They locked eyes for a moment until Hermione excused herself to bed. It was late and she didn't have much longer until she needed to get away for the transformation to begin. She changed into an old pair of leggings and t-shirt before packing her bag with a change of clothes, some vials of various potions and a bottle of pumpkin juice. She then climbed under the covers of her bed, her wand held tightly in her hand, and turned onto her side to face the wall, her eyes still wide open.

Twenty minutes later she heard Draco get into bed himself and flick out the lights, the dying fire the only thing lighting up the cabin. Once she was convinced his breathing had slowed and regulated, Hermione kicked off the blanket and sat up. She flicked her wand and was glad to see the spell confirm that Draco was indeed asleep. The last thing she wanted was him to know she had left and to follow her. She stood up and silently tiptoed to the door, her bag in one hand and a pair of trainers in the other. She quickly cast a silencing charm over Draco's bed so he wouldn't hear her as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the cool air. She shut the door behind her, charmed it shut and pulled on her shoes before hurrying down the hidden paths to the clearing she knew and was beginning to use as her safe haven during the nights of the full moon.

After a few minutes of pacing she finally put her bag down and kicked off her shoes. She knew she didn't have long, thanks to Draco's dawdling in Kinzig earlier, they'd had a late dinner and gone to bed later than she would have wanted. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the small vial of Wolfsbane potion for the night and gulped it down. Even after taking it for quite a bit now, it still didn't taste any more pleasant and she winced as it travelled down to her stomach. She then put her wand in her bag and hid it along with her trainers in a small crack in the tree stump she was near. And now, it was time to wait. She sat down on the stump and started twiddling her thumbs.

It was her third transformation, and although she knew it was going to be horrifically unpleasant, she felt surprisingly calm about this one. She had picked up a scent the past few days and was excited to test out her even more heightened senses tonight to see if she could decipher it.

And then it began; her third transformation into a werewolf, and like she had thought it was no more pleasant than the past two. The pain coursed through her body as she felt her nose lengthen, her spine round and fingers and toes grow. She felt the prickling as hair sprouted all over her body. She collapsed onto all fours, her breathing coming as pants and her heart racing a million miles an hour. And then, almost as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Werewolf Hermione let out a loud howl of freedom and her night of adventure began.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review with your thoughts, it makes writing a lot easier!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so so sorry it's been forever. My laptop decided to shit itself pretty bad so I had to get a new one, thankfully someone from work managed to back up all my files so I didn't lose anything but ti did mean I went a couple of months without everything! But here you go, a new chapter - I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review 3**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 8**

The human of Remus Lupin let out a deep sigh once he transformed into his wolf form and he sensed Hermione and knew that she was fine, and all was good, at least for now. He hadn't heard anything from her in two months and had been beginning to worry but he didn't want to go and surprise her again. She had made it very clear to stay away and although it broke his heart to know she was all alone and going through hell each month, he listened to her wishes and didn't attempt to make contact.

The grey wolf took off into the woods, ready to tire himself out for the next few hours before curling up in the bushes and waiting until dawn. He really wasn't as active as he had been when he was younger and couldn't spend too long gallivanting around as a wolf.

But some new scent hit him as he found himself on top of a nearby hill and it confused him. It was both nearby and yet hundreds of miles away. It was both familiar and completely unfamiliar. It was both safe and dangerous. He stood still and sniffed at the air, trying to decipher what the new smell could be. It then came to him that it was a new werewolf but one that he had met many years ago and they were in danger. Remus the werewolf ducked his head and started running as fast as he could towards the smell. It got stronger and stronger as he reached the south-west of England until he knew he was within a mile of it. It was only then that he slowed to a walk.

The wolf jumped over a fallen branch and saw what had been calling to him. A light brown coloured werewolf had got itself caught in a human snare. Remus the human let out a groan, that came out as a growl and started towards the younger werewolf. He started to whimper as Remus approached, but Remus knew he wasn't dangerous; he could smell the use of Wolfsbane potion from a mile off.

He approached the werewolf and saw that it was an easy fix. He effortlessly ripped the netting with his teeth and the werewolf stood up, freed from the trap. The two werewolves shared a look, the dark brown eyes looking oddly familiar to Remus, before they turned their backs on each other and ran off in different directions, Remus back towards the Welsh border and the brown coloured werewolf further south towards Devon.

[-||-]

The wolf Hermione had had a successful night. She had managed to catch and feast on a number of rabbits and even caught sight of another werewolf in the far distance, which would explain the new scent she had been picking up recently. She reached the clearing just moments before she transformed back into a human; she didn't fancy repeating the first full moon and walking around the woods naked again. That was another advantage of her wolfishness, the ability to tell the time by just one look at either the sun or the moon and being able to tell the part of the lunar cycle they were in immediately.

Once the painful transformation had finished, Hermione fiddled around in her beaded bag and pulled out an identical pair of leggings and t-shirt she had been wearing a few hours previously. After slipping her shoes on she began the slow walk back to the cabin where she really hoped Draco was still sleeping.

Much to her delight, there were no lights on in the hut when she arrived, and she was able to silently unlock the door and sidle inside. She cast a look over at Draco's sleeping form and was glad that he was indeed still asleep. She quickly made herself a mug of mint tea before climbing into bed, her whole body tired and aching. She cocooned herself inside her blankets and fell into a deep sleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

[-||-]

"Morning, Charlie. How did you sleep?" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly as her second eldest son appeared in the kitchen not long after 11. He had taken the week off from Romania to come and spend time with his family and help find Hermione but was due back later that evening.

"Not well," he groaned sitting down and helping himself to a strong coffee and some bacon that had been placed under a warming charm.

"You don't look too great, Charlie. Do you need to go back to bed for a bit before lunch?" his mother asked looking at him a concerned look etched on her face. He shook his head.

"No, I'll be fine. I said I'd play quidditch with everyone this morning. I'm sure the wind will wake me up," he said trying to sound as convincing as possible. Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows but didn't bother pushing the conversation. She knew she had no chance in winning, especially when quidditch was involved.

"Charlie! You're up. I didn't think you'd ever actually make it out of your room," an excited voice came from behind him.

"I wouldn't miss a game of quidditch for anything, not even sleep," he added as he yawned loudly, earning himself an almost glare from his mother.

"Good, because we're about to start. You're seeker on the gold team with George and Bill," Ginny told him matter-of-factly, pouring herself a quick glass of water and chugging it down.

"OK, I'll just go get changed and I'll be out in a few," Charlie said and heaved his aching body from the table and up the stairs, earning another inquisitive look from his mother. There was something off about Charlie, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. He hadn't been his usual, excitable, joking self. He hadn't even argued about her cutting his hair, nor had he complained about the lack of apple pie that week. All Mrs. Weasley did know was that she wasn't comfortable him going back to Romania quite so soon and she would try her utmost over the next few hours to get him to stay.

Needless to say, her plan didn't work, and much to her, and the rest of her family's, disappointment Charlie flooed back to Romania at 8:30 that evening.

"Promise you'll write, Charlie bear," Mrs. Weasley said, giving his son yet another hug. "And are you sure you don't want to stay just a few more days?"

"Mum, I'm fine, I promise. If I don't get better, I'll go see the reserve's healer." Mrs. Weasley sniffled but let go of him nonetheless.

"See you in three weeks," he said with a smile and a wave before stepping into the fireplace. The instant he arrived in Romania, he kicked off his shoes and trudged through to his room. Without even undressing he climbed into bed, exhausted and needing to sleep at least 18 hours after the adventures of the previous night. He didn't even get to turn off the lights before he was snoring quietly.

[-||-]

"Hermioneee," a sing-song voice came into being. She groaned and rolled onto her front, pulling her pillow over her head.

"No need for that attitude, Granger. I just wanted to tell you I made you a mug of your favourite tea, but I'll leave it next to your bed," Draco's muffled voice came from above. Hermione couldn't move. Her muscles were tight and achy. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. And she was so very comfortable that she didn't even want to move. And so she didn't, and slowly fell back asleep, but this time it was much more uneasy and broken.

Draco was sat outside, flicking through a muggle magazine on cars he had picked up the previous day from the town trying to enjoy the sun before he started on lunch, when he heard a thrashing. The thrashing was then followed by a loud scream, and then another before he heard the heart-wrenching sobs. The sobs that made all his hairs stand up on edge and his heart skip a beat. The sobs that almost broke his heart just hearing them. He jumped from his seat and hurried inside; there was only one place they were coming from.

He darted over to Hermione's bed and sat down next to her. She was thrashing about in the blanket, crying and shouting in one. Draco reached out and pulled the blankets off of her before she managed to strangle herself.

"No, no. Please, no. Leave me alone. I need to go. Please, just leave," Hermione begged in her sleep.

"Hermione. Hermione! Shhhh, it's just a dream. Hermione, wake up," Draco said trying to wake her. Just as he thought it hadn't worked, Hermione's eyes flew open and all he saw was pure terror in the chocolate brown eyes. It sent a shiver down his spine, he had never seen someone so scared. And then she started to cry, her whole body shaking with each sob. Draco sat there momentarily unsure as to what he could do. He shuffled himself so he was sat against the wall and pulled Hermione's trembling body towards him, wrapping both arms around her and rubbing soothing circles down her back.

"Shhh…it's OK. Everything's fine, Hermione. You're safe, no one's going to hurt you," Draco soothed as Hermione cried into his chest, wetting the front of his favourite shirt, but for once he didn't care. All he cared about was making sure Hermione was OK. It took a long while for Hermione to stop crying, and a while longer until she pulled away from his chest. But she didn't move far. Draco still had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and as she looked up at him, he reached forward and brushed away the hair from her face.

"You OK?" he asked, concern filling his eyes. She nodded and didn't say anything but rather rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while, Hermione sniffling every now and again, Draco rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.

"I've never seen it that bad. Do you want to talk about it?" he finally asked once he was certain Hermione had got over her nightmare. He felt her shake her head again, so he just squeezed her shoulder. Nightmares were a regular occurrence, at least every other night sometimes even more often but he had never seen her quite so distressed. Normally a comforting hug and a quick tea and she would be able to go back to sleep, but this time had been a lot worse.

"When was the last time you had one like that?" he asked tentatively.

"About two days before you arrived," she said quietly. She pulled away from him and hugged her knees up to her chest, avoiding making eye contact. Draco nodded in understanding, he had nightmares every night and didn't wish them on anyone. They really shook you to the core and made everything that had happened so real.

"You've slept all morning, so I'm going to make us some lunch. How does a cheese and ham toastie sound?" he asked as he pushed himself off the bed and started towards the kitchen. Hermione's mouth twitched at the corners and Draco smiled back at her. He had quickly found out that she had weakness of cheese toasties, especially when there was ham, so he set about making one as Hermione just sat on her bed, staring into space.

Ten minutes later, Draco put the two plates and two glasses of pineapple juice, one of his favourite muggle drinks, on the table and beckoned for Hermione to join him. She was hesitant at first, but then she gingerly stood up and hobbled over to the table.

"You feeling OK? You still look very pale," he asked as she sat down opposite him. She nodded and took a small bite off the corner of her sandwich. She was feeling a lot better after sleeping all morning but knew she had a few more days until she bounced back to 100%.

"Thanks, Draco. I needed that," Hermione said as she swallowed her last piece of sandwich.

"You're welcome. Are you feeling better? I have to say, you've got a bit more colour now," he said, looking at her inquisitively. Something that made Hermione let out a laugh.

"Sorry, it's just I never thought I'd see you look so concerned," she laughed, making Draco turn a light shade of pink. "But thank you." Draco nodded curtly in response. Hermione stood up and picked the plates, heading over to the sink and started washing up.

"Thanks for lunch, Draco," Hermione said as she dried her hands on a tea towel. "I'm going to read outside, I think." Hermione saw the typical rolling of the eyes but decided to ignore them as she headed over to her bed and pulled out a book from underneath it. She smiled as she took in the cover: _Men who like dragons too much_. It was one Charlie had given her last year and she had read it multiple times. But when did reading a book more the once ever stop Hermione from reading it again? She tucked the book under her arm, pushed open the front door and sat down in one of the outdoor chairs, ready to dive into the world of Hungarian Horntails and Chinese Fireballs.

[-||-]

It wasn't until it got dark that Hermione noticed she had subconsciously lit a blue fire and was now reading _The most unusual dragons and their stories_ , another book Charlie had given her, by wand light. Her eyes had gotten dry and she was beginning to feel tired.

"Hermione, I've got some food for dinner if you want," Draco's voice came from behind her startling her out of her reverie.

"Right. Yes, OK," she stuttered marking her spot in her book and standing up. She stretched her aching muscles from being cramped the entire afternoon. She extinguished the fire and followed Draco inside, locking the door with many spells.

"You do know there's no one around for miles, they're not going to find us," Draco said with a laugh, watching her ward the door.

"You did," she responded pointedly.

"True, but I had a lead," he said.

"What lead?" Hermione asked sitting down at the table and helping herself to a bowl of chicken and pea soup.

"Oh, Zabini may have mentioned a while ago about there being a hut in the woods in Germany being a good place to hide," Draco said sheepishly, now piling the soup into his bowl and dunking in a piece of baguette. Hermione nodded. Truth be told, she didn't really mind that Draco was here, he had been reasonably good company and made the last few weeks a lot more bearable.

"Do people know you're here?" she finally asked.

"By people, do you mean my parents? Because no, they're both in Azkaban, although mother should be let out in a few months. She's been let off because of her saving Potter and other stuff," he added, upon catching sight of Hermione's confused look.

"I see. And your friends, they don't know?" Hermione pushed. Draco shook his head.

"They're all either in Azkaban or on the run, it's not like they really care about me after I switched sides," he said gloomily.

"Well, when you go back to England, I'm sure you'll make new friends," Hermione said meekly with a smile.

"When _we're_ going back to England, Hermione. I'm not going to let you wallow in self-pity for the rest of your life." Hermione gulped at the comment. She was sure he hadn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but it definitely stung.

"I'm not wallowing in self-pity. I'm just taking some time," Hermione responded tartly.

"Oh, yeah? So, you're brewing the Wolfsbane potions just for the sake of it then?" Hermione stared at him in surprise. How on earth had he known she had been trying to brew that potion when he first arrived? It's not like she had attempted it since.

"No, it's for Remus, it's the least I could do to help him," she responded, sounding almost cruel, not entirely what she had intended. Draco cocked an eyebrow but didn't push it anymore, much to Hermione's delight. She finished the last of her soup, sent the bowl to the sink and announced that she was going to bed.

Once in bed, she curled up into a foetus position and faced the wall, tears streaming down her face. She was confused, why had Draco known about the Wolfsbane? Why was she feeling like this? It was almost as if she wanted to tell him about it all, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. He would be disgusted in her and leave the instant she mentioned it, and then she would be left all alone once again. She was in a vicious circle, a circle she had been in for many weeks now. She didn't hear Draco go to bed but knew it was hours later before an uneasy sleep finally overtook her.

 **(A/N: How was that? Hope you enjoyed it, not my favourite chapter. Please leave a review! Also this is that last chapter I have fully written so updates from now on will depend on when I write new chapters, hopefully it won't be too irregular!)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Who would have thought you'd get an update so soon? Definitely not me! Hope you enjoy the new chapter - sorry it's a bit short but figured better short and sooner rather than long and later! Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 9**

 _Harry,_

 _I know you're trying to help, but truly you're not. I'm fine, really, I am, and I don't need an owl a day trying to find me. Please put more time into looking after yourself, Ginny, Remus and everyone else. I promise I'll get in touch with you when I'm ready, but for now, please, just leave me alone._

 _All my love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry had read the letter at least a hundred times since it had arrived yesterday morning and he still couldn't get over it. He was so glad that she was fine and well, but he was gutted that she wasn't coming back and not wanting his help. The tears stung his eyes, not for the first time in past months, but he rubbed them away fiercely. He scrunched up the piece of parchment and threw it across the room towards the bin. It missed and landed a few feet short. Harry was angry. He wasn't just angry at himself, he was also angry at Hermione. He had no idea what was wrong with her and he was frustrated she didn't think she could ask him for help. But being angry at her only made him feel worse. He knew she had a reason for distancing herself from him, and even three months later it bugged him. Obviously, something was wrong, very wrong and all he wanted was to be there for her. She was his best friend for Merlin's sake.

There was a quiet knock on the office door, but Harry didn't answer it. Instead he heard the hinges creek as it was pushed open. He heard the soft footsteps carrying her across the room to where he sat at his desk under the window.

"What is it Ginny?" he asked, sounding angrier than he meant.

"You know exactly what it is, Harry. You can't lock yourself away, it's not good for you. I know you're frustrated and upset about Hermione but she's fine. She's got in contact with you and told you to back off. So that's what you need to do, you need to honour her wishes and leave her alone. She'll be fine, she's Hermione Granger, she's not dubbed the Brightest Witch of Her Age for no reason. Please, Harry, stop wallowing in self-pity," Ginny sighed.

"I'm not wallowing," Harry responded in gritted teeth. He didn't need to turn around to know he was receiving raised eyebrows from his girlfriend. "Fine, but I can't promise I'll stop worrying about her."

"I know that, and I don't expect you to but it's time to start moving on," Ginny said squeezing his shoulders and feeling the tension begin to subside.

"Why is it you always know what to say?" Harry said turning his chair around and pulling her onto his lap, his lips meeting hers. He felt her lips twitch upwards in a smile and knew that despite everything, it was going to be fine.

[-||-]

 _Remus,_

 _I hope you are well! Life is ticking along with me over here. I have a new hut-mate, I won't say who just for his own privacy but he's keeping me sane. He doesn't know about me though, at least he doesn't give off that he knows, but I'm not sure how I can keep it a secret much longer. I'm going to need to start on the Wolfsbane again soon. Talking of Wolfsbane, if it wouldn't be too difficult, do you think you could send a small vial over by owl at some point, just to make sure I don't run out in the near future?_

 _I miss you terribly Remus, but I hope all is well with you, Teddy, Harry and the Weasleys._

 _Much love,_

 _Hermione_

Remus felt the tears prickle in his eyes as he read Hermione's letter. It had been the only one he had received and judging by what Harry was saying at dinner the previous week he had also received one from her. He was happy. She seemed to be alright and at this stage that was all he could ask for. He pocketed the letter, there were details in there he didn't exactly want someone to stumble upon, and made a mental note to send over some potion soon. He stood up from his chair, his aging joint creaking, and left his small study on the hunt for Teddy.

"Harry? What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for at least another two hours," Remus asked stunned when he saw his best friend's son and godson sitting at the kitchen table, a black-haired baby gurgling happy next to him.

"I finished work earlier so decided I would come and keep you company. Ginny may have mentioned you seemed a bit morose when she popped in yesterday."

"That's nice of you, but you really don't have to. I am very capable of keeping myself busy," Remus said rummaging in the cupboards for some tea.

"I know but I wanted to see my delightful godson," Harry responded with a laugh as he tickled Teddy's round tummy. Remus couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face as he watched Teddy laugh at Harry's actions and thought about his packmate a few hundred miles away.

[-||-]

Hermione had just finished her weekly shop at the supermarket in Kinzig when she decided to take the long route back home. It was a glorious August day, hot and sunny, the sky a rich periwinkle and she felt an overwhelming sense of joy as she pulled down her sunglasses and took off down the high street. She wandered through the village, peering into various shops and catching snippets of conversations, but very much in her own bubble. There was one thing, however, that was bothering Hermione. Despite being perfectly happy, or as happy as she could be all things considered, she knew she couldn't carry on like this. She missed her friends and family, she missed everything about being in the UK, but out of everything, she missed working the most – needless to say, she was getting bored. She was beginning to think she had grown out of her little hut in the woods and needed to move out into the world and find a job.

As she reached the edge of the woods, she had decided that it was time to move on. She wasn't ready to go back to the UK, the Weasleys and everyone she knew and loved. But she was ready to socialise with actual people, preferably muggles for now because the thought of being found by the wizarding world sent shivers down her spine.

"Well, this is going to be an interesting conversation to have with Draco," she mused as she lifted her sunglasses onto the top of her head as she entered the darkness of the trees.

"And what may this interesting conversation be about?" a snide voice came from behind a tree, causing Hermione to jump a few feet into the air, and whip out her wand in one go. She let out a deep breath, however, as none other than Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind said tree.

"You know that would have been an interesting situation to have got yourself out of if I had been a muggle," he added, glancing at the piece of wood pointing straight at his head.

"Yes, well you're not so I don't have to," Hermione responded tartly, stuffing her wand back into her jeans pocket.

"So, what is this interesting conversation you need to have with me about then?" Draco asked as he hurried to catch up with Hermione's retreating back. Hermione remained silent for a while, mulling over her thoughts. The best way forward would be to be honest.

"I think I'm ready to move on," she said quietly as she navigated them both through the thickening trees.

"Oh thank Merlin. I'm so ready to go back home, live in a proper house, eat proper food and have a proper bath," Draco said with a sigh of relief.

"No," Hermione whispered quietly before pausing for a while. "I'm not going back to England. I'm going somewhere else. I don't know where yet, I guess I'll decide over the next few weeks. Maybe somewhere more East."

"But why not England? You said you were ready to move on. Surely that means you're ready to go back home?" Draco questioned, genuinely confused.

"No, I'm not ready to move back home. But I'm ready to start meeting people. I'm ready to find a job, I think in some muggle town somewhere. I'm not ready to go back into the wizarding world," Hermione responded not looking Draco in the eyes.

"Wait, I'm confused."

"There's nothing confused about it, Draco. I'm going to move away from the hut, but I'm not going back to England nor am I going to find some other wizarding community. You can stay here, go back home or come with me. It doesn't bother me either way," Hermione said as she stopped abruptly and turned around to stare straight into Draco's grey eyes.

"Well, I'm not going to leave you to be by yourself so it looks like you're stuck with me for a bit longer. Now, where are we going then?"

"I don't know. Like I said, probably somewhere east. I guess I'll look into it. Maybe we could leave in a couple of weeks?" Hermione had every intention to stay for one extra full moon and see where her wolfish senses direct her to go.

"Right. You tell me what to do and where to go and I'll be there," Draco said as she found themselves in the clearing just a few hundred metres from the hut they had occupied.

[-||-]

The 2 weeks flew by and before Hermione knew it it was the day of the full moon on September 6th. She struggled to believe that she had already experienced 3 transformations. She was somewhat excited about that night, however, as she knew she could pick up a scent, or something similar, to tell her where to head next the following afternoon. Ever since the conversation with Draco, they had both found themselves eager to leave. Hermione had kept on trying to make up excuses, the next one lamer than the one previous, as to why they needed to wait for 2 weeks. She was beginning to have a hunch that Draco knew something was up, she dreaded to think what he knew but he wasn't exactly stupid. Surely, he had made some kind of connection?

Just like the last two full moons, Hermione pretended to sleep early and waited until she heard the tell-tail sign of deep breathing coming from Draco signifying his sleep before getting up. She grabbed her small backpack and quietly tiptoed out of the hut, shutting the door silently behind her, unaware that Draco's eyes had opened a crack large enough to see her leave. She kept her footsteps quiet until she knew she was far enough and started to walk normally towards her clearing, her heart hammering with excitement and anticipation.

It was a cool, autumnal evening and Hermione was glad she had pulled on a hoodie, which she subsequently discarded once she reached her clearing and sat down. Yes, she was excited but why was she nervous? What reason did she have to be nervous? Tonight was no different than any other, so why was it that she felt like someone was watching her?

The next twenty minutes were stressful for Hermione as she paced around the clearing, the constant fear that there was someone in her presence; she could smell them. She was almost relieved when she caught sight of the first rays of moonlight hitting the ground. The transformation was fast and painful, but each month was a little better than the previous. As usual, wolf Hermione let out a howl into the dark, cool night.

She darted off into the woods, feeling freer than ever. As she ran, though, she was struck by an overwhelming sense of foreboding. Something was nearby, or rather someone, and they weren't in the form of an animal. The hackles stood up on the wolf's neck as Hermione came to a halt. The smell was so very familiar, a smell she smelt every day. Her heart began to pound, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no. Oh shit. Fuck. No," Hermione's voice shouted in her head. She hadn't come across a human whilst in wolf form. She didn't know what wolf Hermione would end up doing. Human Hermione knew she would never hurt anyone intentionally, but wolf Hermione, well, that was a whole other matter. Hermione knew exactly who it was and knew she couldn't go anywhere near them in fear of what she might do. She may be on Wolfsbane that kept her sane but there had been cases of even wolves on Wolfsbane attacking humans. She couldn't take that risk. She needed him, and she needed him a lot more than she cared to admit.

The wolf took off in the opposite direction, away from the very familiar scent and after the one that had intrigued her in previous months. Its legs carried it through the woods and closer to the scent. But it never got closer, or rather any stronger. It was as if she was running in circles, but Hermione knew she wasn't. She was heading south east, and she knew that that was where she had to go next: Eastern Europe.

Once Hermione tired a little, she turned around and ran back towards the clearing and the hut, ready for a couple of hours to nap before sunrise. She sped through the forest, taking in her surroundings. It was the last time she would be here, and she wanted to remember it. It had formed such an integral part of her life, the time when everything reset, and she had no intention of forgetting it.

The rest of the night passed quickly and without adventure. As Hermione neared the clearing, she noticed that the all too familiar scent had lessened indicating that he had left the area. She reached the clearing a few hours before sunrise and settled herself down and curled into a ball in the trees and slept until the painful transformation happened once again.

Once she had pulled on her clothes and stretched out her muscles, Hermione began the trek back to the small hut, a slight spring in her step despite last night's activities. She was excited about their next adventure in Eastern Europe. But that feeling of happiness disappeared almost immediately as she shut the door and turned to see Draco sitting at the table staring at her.

"I think it's time we have a chat," he said eyeing her appearance and beckoning her to where a steaming mug of tea sat next to him.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts in a review! I know the last bit was super rushed but I wanted to get it finished and posted so I can move on to more exciting bits!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow this was written much faster than I thought I'd get it done - I actually found it pretty easy to write imo so maybe that'll mean updates won't be too long! Anyways, hope you enjoy it and don't forget to follow and leave a review of your thoughts - each one makes it easier to write!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 10**

Hermione stood unmoving for a few moments. It wasn't until Draco coughed that she moved forward. She threw her rucksack onto her bed and sat down next to Draco, wrapping her hands around the comforting mug of tea.

"So."

"So?" Hermione echoed, not looking into the intense grey eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"Do you have something you need to tell me?" he asked. Hermione shook her head.

"Not that I'm aware of," she responded keeping her eyes averted from his.

"Not about where you were last night?" he questioned.

"I just went out. Couldn't sleep, that's all," she replied.

"Oh so you went out for the entire night, from just after sundown until after sunrise?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she said. Hermione knew she was digging herself into a hole, a large one at that, but she just couldn't get out of it. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. She knew he knew, and she knew that he knew that she knew but it still didn't help. She just couldn't voice it.

"Hermione, you know that you can tell me anything right?" Draco reached out and touched her arm. "Anything at all."

"There's nothing to tell, Draco," Hermione said shakily.

"OK. There might not be anything to tell per say, but you can definitely answer some questions, right?" Hermione gulped. This was it. The time when someone other than Remus was going to know she was forever a monster was upon her. She felt the tears at the back of her eyes, but she blinked them away. She wasn't going to cry about this. she had cried enough. This was her life now and there was nothing she could do about it other than carry on living. Remus did it, he still does, and many, many other werewolves carried on living, so why can't she? She gulped and then nodded.

"We'll start easy, where did you go last night?"

"I told you, I went for a walk. Although it ended up being more of a run," she added after a thought, no point making it any harder than it already was.

"Is that what you do once every month then?" Hermione nodded.

"And it just happens to occur on the night of the full moon each time?" he pressed.

"Yeah, looks like it." Draco eyed her suspiciously. It wasn't going to take long.

"And does this have any relation to that potion that exploded when I first arrived?"

"I told you, Draco. I was brewing some Wolfsbane for Remus," Hermione said, her heart hammering inside her chest. She wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it from where he sat.

"Oh, so it wasn't meant for you?" Hermione faltered. She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't want to lie. She couldn't bring herself to lie, so she just cast her eyes down to the floor and didn't say anything.

"What about your shoulder? What happened there?" Draco was relentless. He wasn't going to give up until he got Hermione to tell him. He knew that she needed to say it out loud. He knew that would help her more than anything.

"It's from the battle. It didn't heal properly – I should have seen a healer but I didn't," she admitted still looking at the floor.

"Who caused it?"

"A death eater."

"Which one?" Hermione felt the tears begin to escape now. She wanted to tell him, truly she did but at the same time she really didn't. She was quite content just living it by herself, or at least as content as she could be.

"Was it Greyback?" There was silence. A silence so loud it was deafening.

"Hermione, look at me, please," Draco said, his own voice cracking. Slowly, Hermione lifted her tear stained face, her chocolate brown eyes filled with misery as she met Draco's cool grey ones.

"It was him. He bit me. I ran. I was terrified of what would happen. Of what people would think of me. I was scared, Draco. So scared, so I left. I left everything and ran away. I'm a monster, Draco, and I can't go back. I can't let people find out what happened to me. It'll be the end of what I know. How will anyone look at me the same?" The tears were falling thicker now. Draco stood up from his chair and knelt in front of Hermione. He took her hands in his and stared right into her eyes.

"You're not a monster, Hermione. And you have every reason to be scared. What happened to you has changed your life. But you can't make it change it for the worse. You've got to make it change you for the better. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met and if there's anyone in this world that can battle this head on it's you. You can't let it affect you, Hermione. Not like this. As much as it may be difficult, embrace it. Don't let it dictate your future, dictate it yourself. Do what you want to do and don't let it stop you. Tell everyone when you're ready. They'll understand, I promise. They're already best friends with a werewolf, having a second one is hardly going to affect them. But, Hermione, please don't let it affect you. I hate to see you like this, and I know everyone else will be gutted to know this is how you feel. Overcome it. Rise above it. And beat it. Beat Greyback. Show him and every other person that did bad that this doesn't break you, this shapes you. It shapes your future and it makes you an even better person than you already are." Draco looked straight into her watery eyes as he spoke, not wavering once. Hermione hiccuped and wiped at her face with her sleeve.

"I…I guess you're right."

"Wow, Hermione Granger admitting I'm right, that must be a first," Draco exclaimed, making Hermione giggle.

"Right, so now that we've got that covered and you understand that I am never ever going to leave you. Wow that came out a lot creepier than I thought, not like that you know. Just…yeah…you know what I mean."

"I know, Draco. And…thank you. Thank you for sticking by me and thank you for beginning to talk some sense into this brain. I really appreciate it," Hermione muttered with a smile. Draco smiled back at her and not for the first time, he was happy. He was happy with how he had change his life around. He was happy being around the muggle born and he was excited for their new adventure.

"Great. Well how about you have a shower and climb back into bed. You look a bit like death if I must say. I'll wake you up in time for some lunch and then we can work out where we're going next." Hermione silently agreed and as she stood up she threw her arms around Draco, hugging him tightly. Somewhat surprised by her reaction, it take a few seconds for him to hug her back.

[-||-]

Hermione woke a few hours later to the sound of Draco humming to himself. She smiled as she snuggled deeper into the warm blankets. She felt as if a huge rock had lifted off her shoulders knowing that Draco knew what was going on with her, and it almost made her excited about what was to come. Hopefully it meant that by the time she was ready to go back to England, if she was ever ready, she would at least have one person to support her.

"Ah, I see you're awake," Draco called a few minutes later, bringing Hermione out of her daze. She didn't answer, however, as her stomach rumbled loudly in response. They both laughed.

"And right on cue by the sounds of it. I've made cheese, chicken and pesto toasties," he added with a smile – one of Hermione's favourites. Hermione practically jumped out of bed, ignoring the pounding headache and sore muscles that often accompanied a transformation, and climbed into the seat next to Draco.

"You're the best," she said after swallowing a rather large mouthful of toastie.

"I know," Draco smirked, earning a slap across the back of the head. The friends ate in companionable silence, the only sound being the howling wind down the chimney.

It wasn't until Hermione was washing up their plates that Draco asked the question, "So, where to next?"

"East. I was thinking maybe Bulgaria or Romania. What do you think?" Hermione asked turning around to look at the Slytherin sat at the table.

"Well, I'd rather not run into that Krum person, so let's go for Romania," Draco said with a smirk, that made Hermione let out a laugh.

"You do know that the chances of running into one person in that country is slim to none," she responded with a smile.

"Yeah, but in Romania it'll be none, and I don't want to risk it," Draco said in a huff.

"Right, Romania it is then. I just need to pack my bag and then I'll be good to go."

The duo packed their bags and removed any other belongings they weren't going to need; they didn't want anyone to come across their things and know they had been there.

"Hermione, before we leave, don't you think it would be a good idea to have a bit of a plan?" Draco asked as Hermione made her way towards the door.

"A plan for what?" she questioned turning around to face him.

"Well, a plan for where we're going to go. Are we going as muggles or wizards? Are we going to live in a town or find a secluded hut like this?"

"We'll apparate to Romania. I'm going as a muggle, I'm not ready to enter the wizarding community yet, and I was thinking maybe a small village or something," Hermione answered confidently.

"Right, all I wanted to know," Draco shrugged and followed his companion out of their hut they called home for three months. Hermione grasped onto Draco's hand and before he could think of anything he felt himself being squeezed away and spinning into darkness.

Draco and Hermione landed with a small thump in a deserted alleyway.

"Where are we?" Draco asked once they had got rid of their dizziness of travelling such a long distance.

"I don't know. I just thought of a deserted place in Romania," Hermione replied honestly as she strode towards the light at the end. Draco rolled his eyes but followed her anyways.

Hermione let out an audible gasp as she emerged from the alley onto a high street. It was beautiful. The buildings were made of a white brick that caught the evening sun and shone brightly. The street was cobbled and at the end stood a large church, clearly the epicentre of the small village. Hermione began to walk down the streets admiring all the small boutique shops and cafes lining the pedestrian road. It was perfect; she had no intention of leaving any time soon.

"What is this place?" Draco finally asked once they reached the church.

"Enisala," Hermione responded pointing to a sign off to the side directing them to the 'Catatea Enisala'.

"How do you know it's not Cetatea?" Draco inquired, pronouncing the word so badly Hermione had to fight a giggle.

"Because Cetatea means fortress," she explained through her muffled laugh.

"How do you know that?" Hermione just shrugged.

"I just do."

"OK. So what next?" he asked looking around. There were very few people milling around the square and they hadn't passed many open shops.

"We find somewhere to stay," Hermione said and walked off down a side road.

It took them near an hour until they finally found a small vacant flat once it got dark. For the equivalent of about 3 galleons in Romanian Leu the flat belonged to Hermione and Draco. It had surprised Draco at how well Hermione bargained for it and how she had been able to obtain it for themselves, but he couldn't deny the excitement that rose in his chest as Hermione pushed open the door.

It was a dingy little flat, but it had potential. Hermione turned on the lights and a dim yellow filled the main room. It held a battered sofa and an armchair next to an elegant fireplace that was covered in dust. Off the living room was a reasonably sized kitchen and down the corridor were two bedrooms and a bathroom. The furniture was minimal and old but nothing that a bit of magic couldn't solve. The duo spent the next half an hour redecorating and cleaning the flat and when the collapsed onto the new cream sofa they were exhausted but neither could erase the smiles that filled their faces.

"This is perfect," Hermione breathed as she looked around the living room. Draco nodded in agreement. It had surprised him how much he appreciated the light and airiness of the flat. He had always lived in cold, stone-walled rooms and few lights but this was quite the improvement.

"I'm going to go pick up some food from the bakery over there that looks like it's still open," Hermione said from the window. Draco's rumbling stomach agreed, and so Hermione hurried out of the flat leaving Draco alone to ponder about their new living situation and about what was going to happen next. Truth be told it terrified him not knowing what was going to happen and although he was relieved he had managed to probe the truth out of Hermione it did make him worry about the consequences of it all. Living with a werewolf, an old enemy of his, hiding from the wizarding world wasn't exactly something he was expecting as he had sat in the courtroom a mere three months earlier.

Hermione had barely been gone 10 minutes, much to Draco's relief before he delved too deep into his own thoughts, and just a few minutes later the unlikely friends found themselves digging to a fresh bread and charcuterie in their new flat in Eastern Romania.

[-||-]

Hermione woke the next morning to the sound of the bustling street and smiled. She was shocked at just how excited she was to finally be living in a community, albeit a small foreign muggle one, but one nonetheless. She got up and headed to the kitchen to grab some breakfast before exploring. She passed Draco's room and saw the windows already open so was surprised to find that he wasn't in either the kitchen or the living room. She searched around the small flat, but he definitely wasn't in. Muttering to herself about how she best stay around until he got back she set about making a large coffee. It wasn't until she sat down at the table and took a bite of toast that she saw the note.

 _I've gone out to get some supplies, shouldn't be too long. Will hopefully be back by lunch but don't wait around._

 _-D_

Confused about the 'supplies' he had gone to collect Hermione finished her breakfast, grabbed her bag and headed into the cool autumnal air to explore the small village some more.

Half an hour later and to no one's surprise Hermione found herself pushing open the door to a small, second-hand looking bookshop. The bell dinged cheerfully above her as she stepped into the somewhat dingy shop. She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. It was much larger than the outside let out it to be with floor to ceiling shelves lining the walls and large piles of books just lying on the ground. There was a comfortable set of armchairs and a small coffee table with mints sitting in a small, silver bowl.

"Bună ziua," a voice came from behind the cashier. Hermione turned and watched as an elderly, slightly plump woman appeared in front of her. She was shorter than Hermione and reminded her a little of Professor Sprout with the wild, greying hair, the soft friendly eyes and slightly grubby fingernails.

"Bună ziua," Hermione responded with a smile, cringing at how bad her accent was.

"Ah, English I see. I'm Deana, welcome to my shop," the elderly woman responded, the English thick with a Romanian accent, as she opened her arms wide as if showing off her shop.

"Hermione, pleased to meet you Deana," Hermione replied with another smile that lit up her face.

"Is there something you look for?" the shop owner asked.

"Nothing in particular, I think I might just look if that's OK."

"Just give me call if you need anything." Deana scurried off towards the cashier and disappeared behind the door leaving Hermione alone in the middle of the shop of her dreams. She looked around and took it all in, the sight of the old well-worn books, the smell of the ageing leather and dust. She perused the shelves at her own pace, picking out a few books that interested herself. Deciding she had some time until Draco would be back she picked one of the books out and settled herself into one of the armchairs.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A new chapter - sorry it's been a while but I've not given up on this story, just getting a wee bit of writer's block! Hope you enjoy it, leave a review if you fancy please and thanks :))**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 11**

"Crap," Hermione exclaimed. She slammed the book shut and looked up and out of the window. The sunset could be seen from where she sat, the sky a deep pink and red. She had been sat in the armchair for at least 6 hours without even noticing the time disappear. She hurriedly put all the books back, deciding she would come back the following day to purchase them, and practically ran out of the shop, narrowly avoiding an elderly man as he made he way through the door into the shop. She apologised but had made it halfway down the street before he even turned around to see what the whirlwind had been. Hermione ran as quickly as she could back to her flat, taking just a few moments to appreciate the beautiful sunset.

"I'm so sorry –" but Hermione broke off at what she saw as she pushed open the front door. Draco was stood in the middle of the kitchen, a muggle apron on, humming to himself as he flipped something on the stove.

"What are you doing?" Hermione questioned as she hung up her coat.

"What does it look like? I'm cooking the best dinner you've ever had," Draco responded with a smirk.

"OK, that's quite the claim, I look forward to seeing how truthful you are," Hermione said as she pulled out a couple of glasses and poured some elf-wine into both.

"Oh, don't you worry, Miss Granger, this will be better than any meal the house elves made at Hogwarts. Oh shit, I've burnt the onions," Draco suddenly exclaimed.

"Can I help?" Hermione asked, unable to contain the laugh that left her lips

"Not really, I'm pretty set here," Draco said after cursing several times as he threw away the blackened vegetables. Hermione chuckled.

"Really, I can't say it looks like you are." Draco was scrubbing angrily at pan as if he was trying to remove the memories of the burnt onions.

"You could cut some more onions for me if you don't mind," he said without looking up from the pan. Hermione giggled but stood up and walked to side where an onion sat on a chopping board. She picked up a knife and started to cut it into strips.

"There's no need to cry about onions, Mi," Draco teased as Hermione rubbed the tears away for the fourth time.

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy," she hissed. "Just because you're too pissed off to do a good job."

"Touché," Draco responded with mock horror. Hermione growled but scraped the onions into the pan and sent the chopping board to the sink. She scrubbed her hands and wiped at her eyes once more, making Draco laugh.

"Anything else to do or are you just going to verbally attack me some more?" Hermione asked once she was sure the eyes were better. Draco stood there for a moment, staring deeply into the pan.

"Yes, I do think we need another onion. Could you do the honours?" he said so seriously he almost looked comical.

"Sod off," Hermione scowled. Draco just laughed.

"I'm going to leave you to this and have a bath." Hermione announced after she had set a knife to magically cut up another onion. She picked up her glass of elf-wine and carried it along to the bathroom, stomping her feet a little louder than necessary as Draco wiped away the tears of laughter that were leaking out of his eyes..

[-||-]

Just over an hour late Hermione was found at the sink washing up the dishes as Draco reappeared from his room, a couple of bags in his arms.

"So, I took a little trip to Diagon Alley earlier," he explained as Hermione dried her hands, casting a curious eye over the bags now sitting in the middle of the table.

"You went all the way to London, why?" Hermione asked curiously, sitting down opposite Draco.

"I couldn't be bothered to find where the closest magical community was here, so it was just easier to go back there," Draco explained. "I needed to get these." Draco pulled a brown paper bag from the pile and Hermione noticed that the stamp on the front was telling he had been to the apothecary. From inside the bag Draco revealed a number of ingredients, including but not limited to powdered silver, aconite, salpeter and moonseed. It didn't take long for the wheels in Hermione's brain to click; she knew exactly what those ingredients were for. Her heart skipped a beat. He had gone all the way to London to get very expensive potion ingredients just for her. She felt the tears appear in the corner of her eyes. Never in a million years did she expect Draco Malfoy to do such a thing.

"Oh, Draco. You didn't have to do this. These are so expensive. You shouldn't have done," Hermione said shocked, her voice soft and a number of tears trickling out of her eyes.

"Of course I did. It takes 3 weeks to brew and we have 27 days until the next full moon, so I need to start making it tomorrow," Draco responded seriously fiddling with the lid of one of the bottles.

"You don't need to make it, Draco. It's fine, I can do it myself," Hermione insisted, although she wasn't entirely convinced about that statement in any case.

"Given that you've yet to succeed in brewing this potion I somehow don't think you're going to be able to make it before October," Draco said sombrely, raising an eyebrow.

"No need to rub it I've failed myself," Hermione muttered sadly looking down at the table. She had rarely ever failed at anything, certainly not at making a potion. She had made the Polyjuice Potion at the mere age of 12 for Merlin's sake. There was no reason she should be failing at the Wolfsbane and it was frustrating her to no end just knowing that she was incapable of making one of the most important potions of her life.

"I'm not rubbing it in, Hermione. You haven't failed yourself. You've had big things to adjust to and just by looking at the potion earlier I can see how easy it is for it to be ruined. But like I said before, potions are my speciality if I do say so myself so I'm going to help you. I'm going to make this potion for you, so you don't have to keep relying on Lupin's stores and you can start to feel self-sufficient. And if you want to help, I dare say I would appreciate the assistance from the know-it-all," Draco added with a smirk, that made Hermione smile back at her friend.

"Thank you, Draco. But don't feel you have to do this. I'll be able to crack it myself at some point."

"I don't have to, but I want to, Hermione. I want to help you through this hardship and if by making sure you have Wolfsbane available when you need it then so be it, that's what I'll do."

"Who would have thought you would be so caring?" Hermione teased as she filled up their glasses of elf-wine.

"I'm a changed man," Draco added with a laugh. They duo clicked glasses together and shared a smile. Hermione drunk deeply from her glass as she pondered over what her life had become. In just a few months she had become a werewolf, she had made friends with her worst enemy from school and she had moved to the other side of Europe. What on earth was the rest of her life going to be like?

[-||-]

The next morning, Hermione awoke suddenly to the strong smell of burning. Draco had burnt a lot of food whilst they had lived in the hut, so it was something she was quite used to. But this time it was different kind of burning and the feeling of suffocation didn't help her thoughts. Something that wasn't food was burning, but it was something that was very familiar. Hermione jumped out of bed, pulled on an old sweatshirt and hurried towards the open-planned kitchen and living space.

"Well, shit. What in Merlin's name have you done in here?" Hermione exclaimed covering her nose and mouth with her jumper as she reached the rooms that were filled with a thick, grey smoke that smelt distinctly of melted metal.

"I had a bit of an issue," Draco's voice came from a few metres away.

"No shit Sherlock," Hermione said rolling her eyes as she pulled out her wand. She gave it a flick and the smoke disappeared almost immediately. Another flick and the room smelt more floral than of melted metal. Hermione looked into the middle of the room where Draco was kneeling by a pile of copper goo, a forlorn look spreading across his face.

"Problems with the Wolfsbane then?" Hermione questioned unable to stop the snigger as she banished the melted cauldron and the mess it left behind. She walked to the other side of the room and opened the window. She stuck her head out, appreciating the fresh air and oxygen.

"Oh, shut it," Draco said tersely standing up and stomping towards the kitchen. Hermione turned away from the window and watched, amused, as Draco began pulling out eggs and bacon and putting them into a pan.

"So, what went wrong then?" Hermione asked trying to be casual but struggling to keep a straight face as she sat down at the table and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"I think I stirred the blaze powder one too many times anti-clockwise before adding the eel eyes," Draco moaned. "A stupid mistake to make."

"Don't worry about it, Draco. You're out of practice. Give it a couple of hours and we'll go again and this time we'll be successful," Hermione said seriously as Draco piled some bacon and eggs onto her plate.

"It's just frustrating ya know? To make such a first-year mistake. But yeah, maybe I am just a bit out of practice. I'll try again later," he said sitting down opposite Hermione and starting on his own breakfast.

"Yeah, I don't think even I made that mistake," Hermione said with a smirk, earning herself a glare from the silver-haired man opposite. The friends sat in silence as they finished off breakfast after which Hermione announced she was going to go and pick up some books from the bookshop before they started on the potion at lunchtime.

Before Hermione left, however, she made sure she altered her appearance ever so slightly – just enough so that someone she knew wouldn't recognise her immediately but not enough so she looked completely unfamiliar. She made her hair darker and straighter, lengthened her face and changed her eyes to a deep green. She stared into the mirror and a completely different woman stared back. It was somewhat off putting. Satisfied, however, she left the flat and stepped out into the cool, autumnal air, wrapping her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she set off down the street.

It wasn't long until Hermione was pushing open the door to the bookshop, the bell tinkering lightly above her. Hermione waved at Deana as she headed over to the shelves she had left the books from the previous night, confused as to why she received an odd look back along with a wave from the shop owner. Only as she thumbed the third shelf did she remember she had altered her appearance, so clearly, she was unrecognisable. Although an ingenious idea, she did perhaps rush into it a little bit. Oh well, she wouldn't always have to keep up the appearance if she didn't want it.

Once Hermione was sure she had found all the correct books she carried the large pile to the till to pay for them. She was just packing them away into a rucksack when the door opened and the bell went off again. Hermione turned around to see who had entered and dropped a particularly large book onto the floor, her mouth open in shock at who she saw. The man hurried the few paces towards Hermione and bent down to pick up the book.

"Here you go," he said handing it back to her, his deep blue eyes boring into her face.

"Thanks," Hermione muttered, taking it from him but without looking him in the eye. She stuffed it into her bag and practically ran out of the shop, staring at nothing other than the old carpet. She let the door bang behind her and just like the night before took off at a run down the street back towards her apartment. She burst through the door and went straight to her bedroom, collapsing onto her bed as she wordlessly locked the door and reverted her looks back to normal knowing she was now safe. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he lived here and of course she was going to run into him at some point.

Hermione let out a groan of annoyance, summoned a glass from her bedside table and threw it hard at the door. She watched it fall to the ground and smash loudly. She fixed it, summoned it and threw it again. She did this three more times until she heard Draco pummelling on her bedroom door and begging her to let him in.

"Hermione, come on, let me in." She lazily unlocked the door and rolled onto her side facing the wall as Draco entered. She heard him sit down on the bed behind her and reach out to touch her shoulder.

"Hermione, what happened? You know you can tell me anything right," Draco muttered softly, concern filling his voice. Hermione groaned but rolled over to face her friend, who was somewhat surprised to see her eyes dry and set given her reaction of smashing glasses and locking herself in her room.

"I saw him," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Saw who?" Draco asked, confusion evident in his silver eyes.

"Charlie. Charlie Weasley."

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, sorry it's a tad short but I quite like where I ended it! don't forget to leave a review (I didn't get many on the last one and it made me think you guys don't like the story?))**


	12. Chapter 12

**Who would have a thought 2 chapters in less than a week?! Don't get used to it though ahah! I also wrote about 5 chapters of another story in 2 days, which I'm loving to write so keep an eye out for that over the next few weeks or so! Anyways hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to follow/favourite/review!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 12**

It was when Hermione admitted to who she had seen in the bookshop the tears started to come. She couldn't stop the shaking sobs and continued to make Draco's shirt wet with her tears as he pulled her into his arms.

"How could I have been so stupid to come here? I knew he lived here. I was going to run into him soon. How was I such an idiot?" Hermione hiccupped pulling away from Draco's arms.

"Hermione, look at me." Hermione hesitated for a few seconds before lifting her head and looking Draco straight into his grey eyes,

"You were not an idiot. You may not have remembered he lived in this area but so what? Why would it matter? I saw you leaving and you didn't look like yourself so there's no reason to believe he would recognise you."

"I guess. But what if I hadn't have changed? He would have recognised me."

"But is that a problem?" Draco asked. Hermione sat there in silence, thinking. Was it a problem if Charlie knew she was here? Was she just overreacting? Seeing him didn't mean anything, really. He wouldn't know about her unless she told him, which she clearly had no intention of doing. It would be nice to have someone else she knew to talk to.

"I guess maybe it's not," she finally said quietly. Draco beamed at her.

"Exactly. You don't need to tell him anything, but it's not going to hurt him knowing you're safe. So maybe you don't change your appearance. Stay who you are and if you bump into him again so be it."

"Why do you always talk so much sense?" Hermione asked with a dry laugh as Draco shrugged.

"You know what it does mean though?"

"What?"

"There's a magical community nearby." Hermione laughed, and the duo sat there in silence simply appreciating the other's presence.

"We should probably crack on with the potion again," Draco suggested after a while. Hermione let out a groan but nodded. They heaved themselves off the bed and headed down the corridor to the living area, Hermione summoning her collapsible cauldron from her beaded bag in the process.

Draco set about lighting a magical fire and getting the first lot of ingredients ready as Hermione made them some sandwiches.

"What else need preparing?" Hermione asked as she joined him a few minutes later.

"You can cut up the foxglove into small squares and then crush some asphodel," Draco instructed handing her a handful of purple and white flowers and a knife. They set about to work, Hermione working on the flowers and Draco making the blaze powder.

It wasn't long before the first ingredients where ready and added to the cauldron. This time Draco didn't mess up the stirring of the blaze powder and when he added the eel eyes the pale-yellow potion fizzed before turning a dark grey.

"So, it looks like we leave this for three and a half days, stirring seven times clockwise every 500 minutes. Right I'll set an alarm now for the next time. We'll just need to make sure someone's always around at the time and ready to stir it perfectly," Draco said as he stood and walked to an old alarm clock and set it for 8 hours time. Hermione stood up and stretched, loosening the muscles in her back from sitting hunched over the cauldron for so long.

"So, what now?" Draco asked as he picked up the last sandwich and took a bite. Hermione shrugged.

"Do you want to go see the fortress?" she finally asked, her eyes sparkling.

"I guess," Draco said. Hermione jumped up, grabbed a coat and pulled on her boots. Draco laughed as he followed suit and within five minutes they were out the door and walking to the end of the village.

"I think it's up the hill," Hermione said looking up a rather steep looking path.

"Can we apparate?" Draco asked, a sense of dread as he looked up.

"Absolutely not, we're walking," Hermione said in astonishment and she took off up with winding path. Draco groaned but followed the incessant witch. They walked in silent for a good hour, until the fortress ruins came into view. They clambered over the rocks for another 20 minutes until they finally reached it.

"Wow, it's beautiful from up here," Hermione panted as she took in the view around them. The sky was a clear blue and they could see for miles of forests, villages and water. Even Draco had to admit it was breath-taking. The duo wandered around the fortress, examining it closely.

"You know what. I reckon this used to be inhabited by wizards," Hermione muttered a long while later.

"What makes you say that?" Draco questioned.

"I just get a sense of magic. It feels powerful. Do you not?" Draco shrugged.

"I mean I feel like my magic is kinda tingling but I'm not sure really."

"Hmm…I might have to see if Deana has a book on the history of it," Hermione mumbled, more to herself than to Draco. Draco couldn't help but let out a laugh, causing Hermione to jump and glare at him.

"What?" she demanded.

"You and your books," he smirked.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione growled, making Draco laugh even more. Hermione stalked off to examine something further ahead and Draco just watched her. His life was certainly taking a turn. Never would he have expected to become best friends with his school enemy and to appreciate her company just baffled him. His thoughts were interrupted by his wand beginning to vibrate in his pocket.

"Crap. Hermione!" he called running off to catch up with her. Hermione turned around at the sound of his footsteps.

"What?"

"The potion needs stirring soon so I'm going to head back. Take your time though, no hurry," he said.

"Oh, right, OK. Thanks Draco," Hermione mumbled. Draco looked at her carefully, she had almost looked disappointed. Deciding not to question anything he smiled at her before disapparating with a pop. Hermione's eyes widened. He hadn't even looked around to check they were alone. How could he have been so reckless? Hermione cast her eyes around and was relieved to see that there was no one around. It was just them, and now it was just her.

Hermione continued to wander the perimeter of the fortress for a while longer before decided to heading back down to the village below as the wind started to pick up. She walked down the winding path to the end of the village and was relieved to see that many of the shops were still open.

10 minutes later she pushed open the door to the bookshop for the second time that day.

"Ah, Hermione. You're back. I wondered where you disappeared to yesterday," Deana called as she recognised the witch who entered her shop.

"Good afternoon Deana," Hermione smiled at the elderly shop owner. "Do you happen to have any books on the history of the fortress? I was just up there and was intrigued by what it may have been."

"Hmm…I may do. I don't know if I've sold my last copy. Let me just have a look." The woman walked around the till and headed to the corner where Hermione saw there were many books on various countries in Europe.

"If it's anywhere, it should be around here," Deana muttered, more to herself than to Hermione. Hermione watched as the shop owner scanned rows of books and almost lost hope before Deana let out, "Ah-ha, I thought I'd still have it." Deana turned around, a small hardback book in her hands and handed it to Hermione. Hermione took it excitedly and glanced down at the cover: _The Myths and Legends of the Fortresses of Europe._

"This is perfect, thank you. How much do I owe you?" Hermione asked rummaging in her pockets for her purse of Romanian money.

Once Hermione had paid she made her way back down the high street towards her flat, humming to herself. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't even notice where she was going and that she walked straight into something sold.

"Woah. Watch it," a gruff voice came from above Hermione as strong hands grabbed her arms to stop her from falling over.

"I'm so sorry, caught in my –" but Hermione stopped short as she looked up and stared straight into unmistakeable blue eyes. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

"Charlie?"

"Hermione? Oh thank Merlin you're OK. What are you doing here?" Charlie asked as he pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

"I…err…what are you doing here?" she asked trying to avoid that question because being honest with herself she didn't quite know why she was in Romania and didn't feel like telling Charlie because she 'had a feeling'. Charlie laughed at her question.

"I happen to work at the Reserve less than a mile down the road," he snorted raising his eyebrows as if to ask her the question once more.

"Honestly, I don't know. Just felt right," she admitted looking down at the floor.

"Hermione, are you hiding?" Charlie asked, concern filling his voice.

"What? No," she replied but not sounding at all convincing.

"Hermione. Why are you hiding? Who are you hiding from?" Charlie questioned, sounding a little sterner with each one.

"I'm not!" she cried indignantly but by the way Charlie's eyebrows moved up his forehead she knew he didn't believe her.

"Look, Charlie. I've got stuff to do, I'd better be off," she said and started to walk away from the Weasley. She made it a few steps before turning around.

"Oh and Charlie, please don't tell anyone," she begged of him. Charlie shrugged but didn't say anything for a while as if he were contemplating what to say next.

"Fine, but only if you promise to meet me for coffee on Thursday," he requested back of her. Hermione hesitated, she knew it wouldn't be the best idea to agree but at the end of the day what did she have to lose? It was only Charlie and if it meant she had someone else to hang around with other than Draco then that couldn't be too awful, could it?

"OK," she said. They exchanged smiles before Hermione turned around once more and headed down the street to her flat, Charlie watching her with a big sense of curiosity.

[-||-]

Hermione burst into her flat, making Draco jump up from the sofa.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked as Hermione stormed into the living room and slumped down into an armchair.

"Nothing," Hermione grumbled.

"Really?" Draco raised his eyebrows. Hermione groaned.

"I agreed to coffee with Charlie on Thursday," she admitted staring up at the ceiling.

"Hermione, I told you earlier, it's not a bad thing to see him," Draco said.

"I know that. But I still don't think it's a good idea," Hermione responded.

"If you really aren't keen then just cancel."

"I can't do that. That'll just make him worry again and then he'll send an owl to everyone else and they'll be here in a flash and then they'll find out and…ugh, I just can't," Hermione said, practically shouting the last bit.

"OK, so don't cancel. But what's so wrong with meeting him with coffee?" Draco questioned, shuffling along the sofa so he was closer to her.

"I just don't want to let anything slip," Hermione admitted looking down from the ceiling and straight into Draco's grey eyes. Draco snorted.

"Hermione, you're not going to let anything slip. I practically had to force the truth out of you, what at least three months after I first saw you. There's no way you're going to say or do anything that will make Charlie suspicious."

Oh how Draco Malfoy was so wrong though. Charlie was currently sat on his own bed in his tent on the edge of the dragon reserve thinking. He was confused. Something had seemed so off and so different about Hermione, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. It was making his head spin and was making him more frustrated by the minute that he couldn't work out what changed in Hermione since he had last seen her. Hopefully he would be able to work it out on Thursday when he saw her next.

[-||-]

Thursday soon arrived, much to Charlie's delight but Hermione's dismay, and they could be found sitting awkwardly in a small café on the high street of Enisala.

"I don't think we've sat in silence for this long ever before," Charlie said with a laugh trying to diffuse the tension.

"No, I don't think so either," Hermione admitted taking a sip of her large coffee, needing all the strength she could muster to get through this little gathering.

"So, where have you been all this time?" Charlie asked, the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since bumping into her on Monday afternoon slipping out.

"Germany," Hermione said not looking at him.

"Germany?" he repeated in shock, not exactly what he had expected.

"Yeah, I found a hut in the Black Forest so was living there and then Draco joined me about a month after the battle," Hermione explained.

"Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?" Charlie asked, sounding disgusted.

"That's the one. But he's changed now Charlie, he wants to do better," Hermione said, annoyed at his tone.

"If you say so," Charlie responded, not sounding too convinced, however. They sat in silence, neither of them quite knowing what to say.

"So, why Romania then? Wanted to see a certain dragon tamer eh?" Charlie finally asked with a suggestive wink making Hermione snort into her coffee.

"Honestly, I had forgotten you lived here," Hermione admitted. "I felt like I needed to go somewhere else, was getting a little fed up with the one room hut and so I disapparated and appeared here."

"Interesting," Charlie said, his own suspicions raising but not voicing them. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.

"I mean, you would have thought given how much time we had spent together you would remember where I lived," Charlie added, trying to sound hurt but honestly, he wasn't surprised.

"Probably but I had other stuff on my mind, sorry," Hermione said before clamping her mouth shut knowing she had probably said a bit too much.

"Other stuff on your mind? Like what?" Charlie questioned, not backing down from the opportunity.

"Oh, just other stuff you know."

"So informative you are, Hermione."

"Just stuff from the battle," Hermione admitted, thinking it would be easier to twist the truth than make up a whole lie on the spot. But thankfully Charlie didn't say anything, as if he was convinced with her answer.

"What about you, what have you been doing since?" Hermione asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Oh you know. Just looking after the dragons," he replied nonchalantly.

"How are they doing?"

"Pretty well actually. We had another hatching the other week, so I seem to be playing Daddy to a 10-day old Chinese Fireball. I should introduce you one day if you're going to be staying here long term," Charlie added as an afterthought. He had really missed Hermione and all of their evening conversations.

"Yes, that would be amazing," Hermione said, her eyes blazing with excitement.

"Perfect, I'll work out when suits me best and send you an owl," Charlie responded with a smile. The rest of the conversation went much smoother as they talked about Charlie's work with the dragons, how some things just never change. It wasn't until Charlie's wand spun on the table and he jumped to his feet saying he needed to be at the reserve that they ended their conversation and agreed to meet for another coffee exactly a week later.

"Bye Hermione. It was great to see you again. Stay safe," Charlie said, wrapping Hermione in a hug.

"You too, Charlie. Don't get too burnt," she added with a smirk.

"Oh and Charlie –" she began.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone you're here," he said with a smile before turning around and hurrying off towards an alley where Hermione knew he would be disapparating back to the reserve. With a smile on her face she walked in the opposite direction, back towards her house. But the smile was wiped off her face less than 100 paces later as she saw a thick black smoke coming out of some windows of a building. It didn't take long for her to realise the windows were the same ones in the living room of her flat and she took off, sprinting towards the smoke.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, please review (got a record number of reviews for the last chapter so lets try and break it again yeah?!))**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's the next chapter - hope you enjoy it, please leave a review with your thoughts - they make me so much more motivated to write knowing there are people actually enjoying this!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 13**

Hermione burst into their flat and immediately disappeared the thick, black, oppressive smoke, coughing loudly. Once the air had cleared somewhat and she could actually see she looked around the small flat, unable to find Draco anywhere. She was beginning to panic, her heart in her mouth as she searched the house. But to her relief she finally spotted the distinctive silver hair bent down over the toilet.

"Draco?" she asked, standing at the door of the bathroom. "Everything OK?" Draco slowly turned his head to look at Hermione and her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. His face was ghostly white, shining under a layer of sweat. His eyes were small and bloodshot and his lips were trembling.

"What happened?" Hermione questioned. Her answer, however, was Draco twisting his head and violently throwing up. Hermione summoned a damp cloth and passed it to him once he finished retching.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking it gratefully and wiping his face.

"So, potion issues then?" Hermione asked with a snigger as she saw the colour return to his face, relieved.

"Granger, zip it," Draco growled before turning back round and emptying his stomach once more into the toilet. Hermione summoned another towel and handed it to him.

"What happened?" she asked once she was sure he was done.

"I don't even know. One second it was fine, the next it was exploding black smoke," Draco groaned, resting his head on the bath. Just by looking at him, Hermione knew he was very ill.

"Right, well you're going to bed for at least the rest of the day," Hermione said sternly, raising her eyebrows at him. Draco let out a moan, which Hermione took as a yes. She helped him to his feet and down the corridor to his bedroom and into bed. She closed the curtains and hadn't even made it out his room before she heard a snore. She smiled to herself, glad that he was asleep and resting. She headed back to the living room and examined the molten mess in the middle of the room that was meant to be the potion. Crouching down next to it, she reached out and was surprised to find it a sticky goo, not something she ever experienced when she was attempting it back in May.

[-||-]

"Remus! Teddy! How lovely to see you," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed excitedly. "Would you like a cuppa? I just put the kettle on."

"Sorry, Molly. I've got some important stuff to do back home and Harry's busy, would you mind looking after this rascal for the afternoon? I'll come pick him up after tea," Remus explained.

"Yes, of course. Come here, Teddy," Mrs. Weasley said eagerly taking the little boy she considered her own grandson.

"Thanks, Molly. I owe you," Remus said and after planting a kiss on his son's head he hurried back to the fireplace and flooed back home. He immediately headed straight to his office and picked the piece of parchment that had sent joy through him up from the table and reread it.

 _Remus,_

 _I hope you and Teddy are doing well. My hut-mate and now have moved on from Germany. We're now staying in Romania, which is quite interesting. He eventually found out about me, but him knowing is actually the best thing, I don't feel so alone anymore. He's offered to help with the Wolfsbane (I still hadn't managed to make it until we moved earlier this week) but he seems to be struggling with it just as much as me. Are we doing something wrong? We're following the recipe word for word and just have no idea what's going on. Our most recent attempt made a black smoke and turned the cauldron into a sticky goo – I mean what is even going on? Can you give us any tips because I feel so bad when I keep asking you for some of your own stock?_

 _Missing you lots._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

A black smoke? A sticky goo? Remus hadn't experienced either of these issues, and he certainly hadn't heard of those problems. He turned to his extensive library, found just the book and began to read, hoping to be able to find answers for Hermione.

[-||-]

Hermione almost let out a shout of excitement when she saw the tawny owl return to her window the following day. She noticed a rather large package attached to its leg. She opened the kitchen window eagerly, shivering a little as the cold wind swept inside. The owl flew in and landed on the side. Hermione untied the package and letter. She rummaged around for a suitable treat for an owl, excited to turn to the package.

Once the owl was fed, Hermione carried the package and letter to the couch and sat down. She put the package, which she could now tell was a book, and turned to the letter.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _Teddy and I are doing well, but I know I'd be doing better if you were nearer than the other side of Europe. How are you coping with everything? I'm glad you've managed to feel you can confine in someone else, it will only make everything easier when you're back. Everyone misses you, I'm beginning to get the feeling they know that I know where you are and keep getting questions, but I'm not giving anything away so don't worry._

 _I'm surprised that 2 of you are struggling with the potion – I know it's hard but even as the brightest witch of the age I would have expected you'd cracked it by now. I've attached a book that I know helped me with a few alterations to the potion to make it a little easier without taking away from its effectiveness. One thing that I did notice, which I'm not sure you know, is that the use of a pewter, copper and silver cauldrons cause issues and that using brass or gold (especially gold) can prevent a number of problems so if you're not using one of them maybe give that a go?_

 _Let me know how you go._

 _Remus_

Hermione re-read the letter twice more before she put it down. The cauldron, that must be what was causing the problem. She picked up the book and thumbed her way through it to the page on cauldrons. Satisfied that Remus was telling the truth she jumped to her feet. She needed to get a new cauldron, and she needed to get one that day. She grabbed her bag and just before she ran out of the house she peeked into Draco's room to check on him. He hadn't taken too well after the potion problem the previous day but seemed to be doing better. Fortunately, however, he was still sleeping.

Hermione wrote a hurried note on a piece of paper, left it along with potions and food on Draco's bed side table and hurried out of the flat. She knew there was a magical community nearby, but she was in no mood for exploring to try and find it. So she walked briskly down to the end of the road and down the alley. She cast a quick glamour charm over herself, still not wanting to be recognised by anyone in London, and after double checking no one was near her she disappeared with a pop.

Hermione landed down a similar looking alley just off Diagon Alley. If it hadn't been for the bustling street ahead and the distinct sounds of English floating down the gap between the buildings Hermione would have thought she hadn't left Romania. She fixed her hair and wandered out of the alley as if that was perfectly normal. she joined the crowd and started her way towards Potage's Cauldron Shop.

As she walked, she took in the hustle and bustle around her and was surprised to feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She missed having so many people in her life. She spotted a number of people she recognised and found it hard not to say hi as she crossed paths with Neville Longbottom just outside the cauldron shop. Hermione was in and out with her new cauldrons, having decided to pick up one of both brass and gold just to be on the safe side.

Hermione was making her way back to the alley to apparate back to Romania when she was stopped in her tracks, and major sense of guilt forming in the pit of her stomach. She had just spotted Fred Weasley hobble out of his Weasley Wizard's Wheezes shop, carrying a large box stamped with the shop's logo. He looked thin, and although he sported a large smile on his face Hermione could see the worry and fear in his eyes. It was then that she truly realised that everyone was going through their own battle, regardless of whether it was visible or not, and she knew that the Weasley's and Harry were facing an additional one not knowing exactly where she was.

"Sorry ma'am," a voice came from behind her as someone walked straight into her back, waking her up from the reverie.

"Sorry, my fault," she answered giving the older man a smile and setting off at a brisk walk, the consuming feelings of anxiety threatening to boil over the top of her. She had to get back to Romania, she had to get away. And she needed to get away now. She practically ran the last few metres to the alley and ducked down it. She stood there, her back pressed against the cool stone, the tears threatening to spill. She had been doing so well recently, keeping her emotions in check, for most of the time at least. She angrily pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, annoyed but more so confused how seeing Fred had made her so anxious and upset. Once she had calmed down she focussed her thoughts on the alley back in Enisala and disappeared with another pop.

[-||-]

It was a few days before Draco made a full recovery, what had made him quite so ill still flummoxed Hermione, but she was relieved when he walked into the living room late on Sunday evening asking if she wanted to order pizza.

Half an hour later the two friends found themselves sitting on the floor, munching their way through greasy pizza.

"Looks like you gave the potion another crack then," Draco said nodding towards the cauldron that was simmering around.

"Yes, I set a letter to Remus to ask his advice and he responded telling me we need to use a gold cauldron. I popped out the other day to Diagon Alley to pick one up," Hermione explained, taking a sip of wine.

"You didn't say you had been to Diagon Alley," Draco said, raising his eyebrow at her.

"You had other things to worry about, like getting better. It was no big deal. I went, I bought a cauldron, I came back," Hermione said, purposefully not telling him about her near anxiety attack.

"Hmm…you're not telling me something, Granger," Draco retorted. Hermione knew she was in trouble when he resorted back to her surname.

"I just got a little panicked that's all. Honestly, Draco, it was fine," Hermione responded with a sigh.

"OK, well as long as you promise me you talk to me about anything," he said taking a large bite of pizza. Hermione looked over at her friend and nodded. It still threw her every time she realised she had become such good friends with Draco Malfoy. He really had taken the wanting to change to heart. He was already a much better person than he had ever been, not that that was really hard.

"I have a good feeling about this batch, I think it's going to be the one," Draco announced a while later after he had walked over to take a look at the simmering silver potion.

"Really? I do hope so," Hermione responded excitedly.

"Yeah, it doesn't look any different than it has at this stage, but I'm hopeful," Draco said sitting down next to Hermione on the sofa.

"Well, that's all I can ask for," Hermione said with a smile, untucking her legs so there was space for him to sit.

"You know there's plenty more space on any of the chairs," she added, disgruntled that she had adjust her position.

"Yeah, and?" Draco smirked. Hermione just rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. The duo sat in silence, watching some poorly translated Romanian sit-com.

Hermione didn't even remember moving to lie against Draco, her head now resting against his chest with his arm wrapped around her shoulders and fiddling with a lock of her hair. She did know, however, she was comfortable and feeling the safest she had since before the war. There was something about this new Draco that intrigued her and there was something else about him she just couldn't put her finger on. It was frustrating her that she couldn't work would what it was but at the same time it was exciting knowing they had even more of a journey to go on together. Her heart fluttered a little at that thought but she just shoved it to the back of her mind.

"Do you really think it's going to work?" she asked as she flicked through the channels a while later.

"Yeah, I think I do," Draco almost whispered. Hermione didn't say anything but Draco could sense the smile that was radiating across her face. Something that happened between him and Hermione. Never in a million years did he think they were friends but as he sat there, playing with her hair he knew they were more than just friends. What it was he wasn't sure but there was something. He had never felt so comfortable with someone, not even when he had been sauntering down the halls of Hogwarts flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. He was happy. He was probably the happiest he had ever been, and he was beginning to think it was mainly because of the incredibly talented witch currently leant against him.

They sat there for a good few hours longer, Hermione changing channels each time she got bored of whatever they had been watching. He knew it was getting late, and he knew he needed to go to bed soon. He was still ill, not as bad as he had been 3 days ago but he wasn't 100%. But there was pull stopping him from going to bed. He didn't want to leave. He was quite content sitting there for a while longer.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, a long while later.

"Hmmm," he responded.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned.

"Yes, you can ask something else," he replied with a smirk.

"Why did you stay?" she asked so quietly that Draco had to strain his ears to make sure he caught what she said,

"What do you mean?"

"When you found out what…what I am, why did you stay? I would have thought you'd run," Hermione said, twisting around so she was looking Draco straight in the eye.

"Honestly?" Hermione nodded. "Honestly, I don't know. There was a part of me that did think I was mad for not leaving you but there was an even stronger part of me just not letting me. I wanted to be with you. I wanted to stay with you, for you. You needed help. I figured it out a couple of weeks after I first arrived at the hut but because you hadn't said anything I didn't ask. I didn't want to push you. I knew you would tell me when you were ready. But until then I had to stay to be with you. The thought of leaving you by yourself killed me a bit inside. I couldn't bare the thought. So I stayed and now I honestly think it was the best decision of my life. I couldn't be in a better place right now, well apart from being poisoned by your stupid potion, but I just knew I had to stay." Draco slowly filtered out until he sat there in silence. The tears began to threaten Hermione's eyes but she managed to keep them at bay and smiled at her companion.

"Thank you for staying," she whispered, turning around and snuggling back against him. "I'm so grateful that you did. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."

"I'm so glad I stayed, and I wouldn't change it for the world," Draco muttered quietly. He squeezed her arm comfortingly and planted a kiss on the top of her busy head as she put the remote down satisfied on the cooking show now playing. Oh, how the tides had changed between the pure blood and muggle born. But how they had changed for the better, for the both of them.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, don't forget reviews = love!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know I never do this but I just wanted to thank Hoot95 for the nicest review I think I've ever had - it really made my day! And FabinaForever11 thanks so much for reviewing every chapter I appreciate it so so much! Enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing all your thoughts!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 14**

Draco was right about his feeling for the Wolfsbane potion. They were getting further along that either of them had ever succeeded and it was making Hermione jittery. She knew it wasn't going to be ready in time for the next full moon, missing out by only a few days, but with the ability to store it for up to a year it made her excited that she may be able to finally stop relying on Remus to send over his supplies.

"You need to chill," Draco suddenly exploded one evening a couple of weeks later, a mere 3 days before the full moon. "It's not healthy. And being on edge the whole time isn't going to make the potion brew any faster. You're more likely to make a mistake. And don't think I haven't noticed you haven't eaten or drunk half as much as you need to. You're making it worse for yourself, Hermione. You need to be fit and healthy for Friday so please just relax." Hermione just stood in the living room and stared at her housemate. She knew he was talking sense, he normally tended to. But it was frustrating he would always resort back to her lack of appetite. It didn't help her knowing that he was keeping such a close eye on her. She knew he was only doing what he felt was best for her, but she wasn't exactly doing anything on purpose. She slumped into an armchair, looking defeated.

"Sorry," she mumbled, making Draco cringe inwardly. He hadn't meant to explode quite like that and certainly hadn't meant to shout at her but he was only been looking out for her.

"Hey, don't apologise," he said quietly, taking the few steps towards the chair and crouching down in front of her. "I care for you, that's all. And you're also driving me a little mad," he added with a chuckle. Hermione managed a smile in response.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be like this. I'm just full to the brim of different emotions, constantly feeling like I'm going to explode, and it doesn't help I'm so twitchy this close to a full moon. I'll try and calm down, but I can't promise anything until Saturday and it'll get better then" she said sadly.

"I know, Hermione. I know it's hard, I just want what's best for you, that's all," Draco said taking her hands in his and looking into her chocolate brown eyes. Hermione opened her mouth to respond but Draco cut in before she could say anything. "No, don't apologise. You have nothing to be sorry about." Hermione smiled.

"Where would I be without you?" she asked.

"Probably stuck on the ceiling with so much energy you can't get down," Draco said so seriously that Hermione couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.

"Thank you," she said after she had calmed down a bit. She stood up, pulling Draco up with her and did something she rarely ever did. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. Draco hesitated for a few seconds but then wrapped his own arms around her and held her close to him, rubbing circles on her back.

The potion suddenly let out a loud hiss, making the duo jump apart and spin around to face the now spitting potion. Hermione hurried over and looked down at it, looking worried. She then cast her eye down the pages of the open book sat next to the cauldron.

"I…I think that's a good thing," she said hesitantly sticking her face practically into the cauldron, far too close for Draco's liking. He hurried over and pulled her away from the cauldron.

"You don't need to get that close to examine it," he scolded. He then looked at it, it was now a very pale grey, almost translucent bubbling loudly and spitting up black and silver sparks. He smiled as he looked at the instructions in the book.

"Yeah, I think it's a very good thing too. Assuming nothing horrible happens, it should be done in a week," he said with a large smile. Hermione almost squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Draco's neck. It was a good thing Draco was somewhat prepared as Hermione jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her head back smiling broadly. Draco spun her around in a circle, unable to contain the laughter that escaped his mouth. Once she had leant back up Draco came to a standstill and stared straight into her eyes. He felt a fire light in his stomach. There was so much emotion in her eyes, so much more than he had ever seen. There was only one thing he wanted to do right then, something he had been stopping himself from doing for a while. His brain wasn't able to talk any sense into him before he ran one hand up Hermione's back and cupped the back of head. He pulled her face closer to his and before he knew it his lips had met hers.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock as she felt his lips on her own. She hesitated for just a second before responding and kissing him back. But that was for less than five seconds before her brain interrupted her and she pulled away. She stared at him, her eyes big and fearful. She untied her legs and slid down to the floor. She barely waited for her feet to hit the floor before she took off running. She skidded out of the living room and had thrown herself into her room and onto her bed before Draco had even turned around. She managed to lock the door just before she heard him knock for the first time. She ignored him. What in Merlin's name had just happened? Why had he kissed her? Why had she kissed him back? She screamed into her pillow. This wasn't meant to happen. This was not meant to happen. How could she have let it happen?

"Hermione. Please let me in. We need to talk," Draco said from the other side of the door.

"No," Hermione shouted back, sounding a lot angrier than she felt because there was a part of her, a tiny part of her that actually enjoyed that 5 second kiss. She liked the fact that he saw her for what she was and that he had never deserted her despite her being what she was. She appreciated it and felt that maybe, just maybe, her life wouldn't be quite so bad as she originally thought it would be those many months ago. But at the same time it had felt so wrong. It would be a lie if she denied that she hadn't felt a romantic feeling or two towards Draco but since they had moved to Romania, and if not before, her feelings towards him had turned completely platonic and she had seen him as a brother, another Harry or Ron, certainly not someone she should be kissing.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry. I don't even know what came over me. I shouldn't have done it. Please, I am so so sorry for what I did. It was completely unacceptable, and I promise it will never happen again. Please let me in, Hermione. I need to see you," Draco practically begged to be let in. Hermione could picture him on his knees outside her door, and couldn't stifle the laugh that escaped. She let out a loud groan, telling Draco she was not pleased to be doing this, but flicked her wand and unlocked her door. She looked over and, yes, could see Draco on his knees in the hallway. He jumped up as he realised the door had opened. He looked at Hermione, lying there on her bed, who cocked her head back in return.

"What the hell, Draco?" she asked, not angrily but almost calm.

"I…I don't know what happened. One second I was checking the potion, the next I was spinning you in a second and then I…I…I ki…" but Draco couldn't say the word.

"Yes, Draco. You fucking kissed me," Hermione said, finding is laughable.

"You kissed me back," he retorted loudly.

"You initiated it," Hermione said narrowing her eyes, but Draco could see the evil glint.

"I…I'm sorry," he said hanging his head morosely. Hermione rolled her eyes and patted the bed next to her. Draco shuffled over and tentatively lowered himself so he was lying next to his companion.

"You twat," she said suddenly, hitting him in the chest, a little bit harder than she had meant.

"Yeah," was all Draco managed.

"Well, as long as it doesn't happen again, we're all good. It was a mistake, shit happens it's not the end of the world and I don't want it to ruin our friendship," Hermione said rolling onto her side to face him. Draco couldn't stop his heart from plummeting at those words. 'It was a mistake' just on repeat through his head. But was it really a mistake for him?

"Yeah," he croaked. Hermione noticed the tone of voice and lifted herself onto her elbow to look down at him. Draco refused to look at her and continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"It…it was a mistake right?" she asked hesitantly. Draco sighed and turned his head so he was looking straight into her eyes.

"I…I don't know," he admitted quietly.

"Hmmm," Hermione muttered rolling back onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. They were silent for what felt like an eternity.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long have you been wanting to do that?" Hermione asked sternly.

"A while," Draco confessed.

"Right," Hermione mumbled. She opened her mouth to speak but once again Draco cut her off.

"But, if you don't feel that way I can stop it, I promise. I don't anything you don't," he said so quickly it took a while for Hermione to process exactly what had come out of his mouth.

"I did. I think I did, I don't know when. Maybe a while ago. But more recently I haven't. I'm sorry, Draco. I know this will crush you but I just don't see you that way any more. You've taken such good care of me recently that I see you more of a brother than anything. I love you to pieces, just not like that," Hermione admitted. Draco was shocked that she had felt a similar way for him that he had her. And although it did kind of crush him that she only saw him as a brother, he couldn't say he was surprised.

"It's OK, Hermione. Give it a bit and I'm sure you'll feel like a sister to me," Draco said with a smirk.

"Ew gross," Hermione said scrunching up her nose.

"What? So, I'm allowed to be your brother but you're not allowed to be my sister?" Draco asked confusion evident in his voice.

"It just makes that kiss seem so much worse," Hermione said with a laugh. "Nasty." Draco couldn't help but agree with her a little. There were definitely some feelings there but he knew that over the next few weeks or so he would be able to trample over them and push them away.

[-||-]

It was a little awkward between Hermione and Draco for a few days after, but as they sat opposite each other having lunch the day of the full moon, it all evaporated. Draco said something that made Hermione drop her cutlery in shock and stare at him open-mouthed.

"Are you mad?" she practically shouted, making Draco shrink into his chair. "You…you want to come tonight?"

"Yeah, I think you could do with the company," Draco muttered quietly.

"No. You are not coming with me, Draco. Who knows what will happen, I could bite you or I could kill you. I'm not going to allow it," Hermione said gruffly.

"But you're on the Wolfsbane, you're still going to be Hermione just as a wolf," Draco argued.

"But I'll still be a werewolf, Draco. I've never been around a human in wolf form and who knows what I'll do," Hermione sighed, picking up her knife and fork that had fallen onto the floor.

"I trust you, Hermione. I know you won't do anything rash," Draco said seriously, staring straight into her eyes. Hermione, however, shook her head a fierce look in her eyes.

"I don't care, Draco. I am not going to risk it. You are going to stay here and make me breakfast for when I get back," Hermione said so sternly that Draco knew the conversation had ended.

Hermione tried to sleep for the afternoon, knowing that she wasn't going to sleep much at all that night what with the new surroundings and with that all the new smells she knew would fascinate her wolf form. As the sun got lower in the sky she started to get twitchy again, her senses heightened. She made herself eat some raw steak and it wasn't much later that she bade Draco goodnight and left the flat, her bag slung across her shoulder, her stomach full of butterflies. Why she was so much more nervous than usual she didn't understand. She had sought out a suitable transforming place earlier that week so followed her senses into the thick wood, following the trail until she reached a large oak tree, where she put down her bag and stripped down to a pair of leggings and a t shirt. She began to shiver in the cool, Autumn air. She paced around the small clearing in the hopes to warm herself a little until the moon rose in just a few minutes.

Just like all the past months, the transformation started suddenly and was agonising right from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She was panting and on all fours by the time the transformation was complete. She stood up onto her hind legs and as per usual let out a howl into the dark night. But this time, something else happened. Something that had never happened before. Somewhere in the distance, probably only a mere 10 miles away or so, there was another howl, a distinctive howl coming from another werewolf, as if in responses to Hermione's own howl.

The hackles on the back of Hermione's neck stood up on end and before she could even comprehend what she was doing she had taken off at full speed towards where the sound had come from. She had only travelled a few minutes before the smell started to overwhelm the air. Yes, there was definitely another werewolf in the near vicinity. It wasn't long until she burst out from the woods into fields, that whilst covered in an eerie moonlight looked like they carried on for miles. She heard the trickle of a nearby stream. The impulsivity of her wolfish nature took her straight to the river, away from the scent of the other wolf. She bent down on her front legs and took deep gulps of the cold water.

Once Hermione the wolf was satisfied she stood up, turned around and continue to run towards the smell. It was getting much stronger than she would have expected and could only assume that the wolf was also heading her way, having identified her own scent as another werewolf. A sudden burst of flames made her jump but even as a werewolf she remembered it would likely have just come from a dragon in the nearby reserve.

Both wolves continued to run straight towards each others scent, both excited at the prospect of meeting another werewolf, but both apprehensive about what may happen. The wolf Hermione spotted the other one first, appearing from a ditch between two fields. Hermione came to a standstill, just seconds before the other wolf caught sight of her and also stopped. They seemed to have made contact, even across the large field and in the dappled moonlight Hermione could see grey wolf clearly, the copper fur speckled around it's muzzle and the blue glint of the grey eyes the most distinctive features.

The other wolf caught sight of Hermione and could see the chocolate brown fur, and big wide eyes. They knew instantly it was a new wolf. Someone who had been a werewolf for less than a year. The bright, excited looking eyes were easily recognisable to any older wolf. They reflected fondly back on their own first few months as a werewolf. the wolf carefully started to move across the field, towards the wolf Hermione. Hermione, however, didn't move. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and she could smell her own fear. She didn't know what to do or what to expect. How was she going to react? It was almost as if her legs had been glued to the muddy ground. She couldn't move, and how she wanted to. She wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. She certainly wasn't ready to face another werewolf. She began to cower as the wolf got even closer. It seemed to happen in slow motion, but at the same time so fast. The wolf reached Hermione and stopped. They were less than a metre away. Hermione could smell its breath and could hear their heart beating fast in its chest. She almost felt as if she could read his thoughts, unaware that yes, some werewolves, especially those that belonged to each other's packs, could communicate telepathically to an extent.

 _"Hello."_

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it - please leave a review, they honestly make my day whenever I see one and they motivate me to write more so thank you!)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Enjoy :) and please leave a review! (not my favourite chapter, quite jumpy but kinda necessary)**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 15**

Hermione's eyes must have widened even more at the sound of a gruff voice in her head because the other wolf made a sound that would have been a chuckle in human form.

 _"I won't bite,"_ they said inside her head once more.

 _"What's happening?"_ Hermione thought, wondering whether the other wolf would be able to hear her.

 _"Yes, I can hear you. Telepathy is something some wolves are able to do. You might struggle for a bit,"_ the other wolf told her.

 _"I've never read anything about this,"_ Hermione thought, completely taken by surprise by the fact she could hear another wolf inside her own head.

 _"It's not something commonly documented. And it's only been recent that this has become possible,"_ the wolf explained.

 _"How has is come about though?"_

 _"No one really knows."_ The two wolves stared at each other, still separated by a metre of grass.

 _"I've never seen another wolf near here, you must have moved recently."_

 _"Yes, only a few weeks ago."_

 _"I see, and you're still quite a young wolf. As in, only recently you were transformed."_

 _"A few months ago,"_ Hermione shuddered at the memory.

 _"It gets better. I kind of enjoy it. Plus it's only 1 night a month."_

 _"Yeah, I guess so. You can't help but remember who you are though."_

 _"You can't change who you are on the outside but that doesn't change who you are on the inside. So what if you're a werewolf? I've been one for nearly five years now and no one, not even my family know. It doesn't change things."_

 _"You haven't told you family?"_ Hermione was shocked at the thought of someone not telling their loved ones who they turn into each month.

 _"Why should I? Like I said it doesn't change who I am."_

 _"Surely that's exactly why you should tell them."_ There was silence in the heads of the two wolves. The elder one knew that the younger one had a point but they had gone so long without telling anyone it almost seemed counterintuitive to suddenly spring it upon the family.

Hermione then did something that shocked her, she moved even closer to the other werewolf and began to sniff at it, walking around in circles. Although it had the distinctive werewolf smell, she could almost pick up its human scents, sandalwood and cinnamon, something that seemed oddly familiar. Once she had completed her circling she stood still and allowed the other wolf to do the same.

The other wolf hesitantly began to walk around Hermione, and just like she had identified the human's smell; mowed grass and ink. The wolf frowned at Hermione, why did it seem so familiar? Did they know each other as human forms?

The wolf finished their circles around Hermione and once again they stood a small way away staring at each other with curiosity. But Hermione couldn't stand it, she hated that she might know this werewolf as a human and hated the fact that they could potentially be listening to her own thoughts. So she turned around and took off the direction she had come, back towards Enisala. The other wolf watched her disappear, confused. They wanted to chase after her but knew that it could be overwhelming for a young wolf to have too much contact with another wolf for one night. So with a somewhat sad look in their eyes they turned around and ran off, back through the fields.

Hermione found the oak tree easily enough what with her excellent senses and knowing that she had a couple more hours until sunrise, curled up at its base, hoping to get a bit of sleep. But sleep didn't come. Her head was spinning and her brain working in triple time going over what had happened with her meeting with the other wolf. Just as the sky started to lighten she decided that she was going to ignore what had happened and forget about it, at least until the next full moon.

[-||-]

Hermione was relieved when she was back in human form. Stretching her aching muscles she pulled on some clothes and started the trek back to her flat, yawning every minute or so. She trudged along the high street, glad that it was still early and no one was up and reached her flat. She opened the door and was greeted by the most wonderful smell of breakfast.

She climbed onto a stool and rested her head on her arms, ignoring Draco's cheerful humming until he placed a large English Breakfast in front of her. She perked up and picked up her cutlery and started to eat. She was half way through before either of them spoke.

"You look exhausted, Hermione. You're going to go back to bed after and sleep at least until lunch," Draco told her.

"But the potion," she muttered weakly

"Don't worry about the potion, I've got it covered. You're much more likely to make a mistake when you're feeling like this," he said sternly. Hermione didn't even have the energy to argue and so once she had finished her tea made her way to her bedroom. She didn't even change before climbing under the covers, asleep within seconds.

Hermione awoke with a start a few hours later and took a little while to work out just where she was. Satisfied she was safe, she collapsed back down onto the pillow letting out a deep sigh. Her muscles ached, her head pounded, and her joints were stiff. She pulled her duvet up to her chin and closed her eyes. She must have fallen back asleep as she jumped when she heard a gentle knock at the door. She peered over her duvet at the door and smiled a little when she saw Draco peek his head through the gap.

"Ah you're up. How are you feeling?" he asked walking gently over towards the bed and perching on the end.

"Like I've hit a wall," Hermione grumbled sliding even further into the bed, making Draco smirk.

"How was last night?" he questioned. Hermione hesitated for a second, did she really want to tell him the truth?

"The usual," she sighed.

"Rough?"

"Yeah, the transformations don't get any easier, and being a werewolf, well it requires a lot of running and it's exhausting" Hermione admitted. Draco looked at her, his face filled with concern and pity.

"Don't look at me like that please Draco."

"Sorry," Draco mumbled. The duo sat there in silence, Hermione almost falling asleep once again before Draco jumped up and practically dragged her through to the kitchen for some lunch. Hermione curled up on the sofa and gratefully accepted the plate of toasties Draco put down in front of her. She smirked at the food.

"You know me way too well," she mentioned picking up a piece of food and taking a bite. Draco just shook his head as he laughed.

"That I do, Miss Granger," Draco said with a smirk.

Later that afternoon, Draco found himself moving from the sofa next to a curled-up Hermione to watching the potion to cooking some dinner. He enjoyed the peace and quiet and the time to get his head set on straight. He wouldn't deny there were feelings for Hermione and he was kind of gutted what Hermione had mentioned the other day, but he understood it. He wouldn't push anything. If she didn't like him like that then nothing was going to happen. He had to respect her wishes. But obviously it was going to take some time until those feelings completely disappeared. He stood by the window, watching the girl sleep. She had been through so much and he admired it. She was so strong and it surprised him at how proud he was of a…mudblood. He cringed at the thought of all the horrible things he had said to her. How could he have been such an arse? Hermione murmured in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open and she looked over at Draco, a smile spreading across her face as they made eye contact.

"You ready for some dinner?" he asked from his spot by the window. She nodded slowly. Hermione stood up and stretched. She followed Draco into the kitchen, pleased that finally she was able to let herself slump following the full moon. They ate in companionable silence for a while.

"I don't remember you being this exhausted after the other full moons," Draco suddenly said, looking over at Hermione who was stifling a yawn.

"Yeah, well some pepper-up potion and a brave face meant you didn't see the truth," Hermione admitted honestly.

"You should have let me look after you, Hermione."

"That would have meant telling you though."

"And it's hardly been the worse thing since you did tell me, eh?"

"I know, Draco, I know that. But it was hard, Remus was the only one who knew and that was only because he saw it happen," Hermione muttered quietly, her eyes filling with tears. Draco watched her for a second before standing up, walking around the table and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"It's fine, Hermione. I understand. But I'm glad you finally told me," he murmured.

"You made me admit it, let's be honest," Hermione said looking up at him with glistening eyes.

"Yes, but you weren't going to tell me out right. Plus, I honestly think it was the best thing to have happened," Draco said looking into her dark eyes. Hermione hesitated for a second and then nodded.

"Yeah, I reckon it may have been," she whispered almost inaudibly, resting her head against his chest.

[-||-]

A certain man, however, spent the entirety of the day reflecting on his experience from the previous night. Never had he come across another werewolf in these neck of the woods and it was both exciting and somewhat worrying. Her scent was so familiar, and it wasn't long until he felt that he may know who it was.

"Holy shit," he exclaimed as it clicked. Of course, he wasn't certain, it was hard to be certain about something like this but he had a hunch. It made everything make so much sense. He started to pace around his kitchen, thinking about the poor girl. He was meant to be meeting up with her on Monday, but he already decided that he was going to have to cancel. Both of their senses would still be very strong, and he knew that she would realise what he was. He hadn't told anyone what he was and although a part of him wanted her to know it was him and for her to know he was there for her, he wasn't ready to experience her wrath and surprise at not telling anyone for five years. And he knew she probably didn't want him to know it was her either. He slumped into his sofa, thoughts whizzing through his mind a million miles an hour.

[-||-]

Hermione awoke the following morning feeling significantly more refreshed and ready to tackle the day after sleeping for 16 hours straight. She got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, ready for the hot water of a shower to beat down on her and relieve the stress out of her shoulders.

"What are you going to do today?" Draco asked as they sat down eating their breakfast.

"Not sure yet, probably won't stray too far what with the potion and all. Maybe go pick up some more books," she added as an afterthought.

"More books? Hermione, we don't have any space for any more books," Draco said looking over at the sitting room where the whole of two walls were covered with piles of books and he knew that her room was the same. Hermione blushed.

"You can never have too many," she mumbled under her breath.

"Hmmm." But Hermione caught his smirk and smiled to herself.

Hermione did, however, restrict just how many books she bought, much to Draco's relief when he caught sight of her carrying _just_ four under her arm into the living room. Draco dramatically rolled his eyes from his spot on the sofa. Hermione lobbed one of her books at his head, which he managed to catch easily, without any effort. He looked at the book and scowled.

" _How to get off your arse and get a job._ Really Granger?" Hermione laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm getting pretty bored sitting around all day every day," Hermione groaned pushing Draco's legs off the sofa and sitting down.

"Bored? Me? Never." Hermione rolled her eyes. "What other books did you get?"

"Just some muggle fiction ones," Hermione responded showing Draco the three classics: _Sense and Sensibility, Oliver Twist_ and _Wuthering Heights_.

"They sound…great?" Draco said hesitantly.

"Don't judge until you've read, Malfoy." Hermione grabbed back one of the books, flicked to the first page and disappeared behind the tome.

[-||-]

"Hermione!" Hermione sat up with a start. She had lost herself in _Wuthering Heights_ for the past few hours and was surprised to hear Draco shouting her name through the flat. She noted down her page and put her book down before heading to the sitting room.

"What?"

"Put a smile on your face, Granger and come over here," Draco said, a huge grin across his face. Hermione's eyes widened having spotted where Draco was stood. She ran the few steps towards him.

"It worked? It actually worked?" Hermione squealed with delight peering over the cauldron.

"Yeah," Draco beamed. They shared a quick, and slightly awkward, hug before Hermione jumped to action summoning vials and ladling the potion away for future.

"Lets hope it actually works in a few weeks," she muttered, more to herself than to Draco.

"It will, Hermione. If it looks like how it's meant to, it will work. There's no way such a complicated potion like this could look how it's meant to and not work."

"Yeah, let's hope so." Once Hermione finished bottling away the potion she eyed the room.

"What now?" Draco asked as he watched her looking around. Hermione didn't respond but rather cocked her head, her eyes flicking around. She pulled out her wand, flicked it and a few piles of books in the corner shrunk and then disappeared. She then conjured a small cabinet and promptly placed all the vials of successful Wolfsbane into it.

"Right," Draco said with another roll of his eyes, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Hermione.

"When can we start the next batch?" Hermione asked eagerly looking at Draco with sparkling eyes. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe give it a few days. I think we might need some more supplies and I wouldn't mind a rest from potion brewing," Draco responded almost glaring at Hermione.

"Humph." Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked back at Draco with an intense look.

"It takes a lot of time and effort Hermione, we just finished this batch give it a week and we'll start on the next one and maybe with greater quantities," Draco said. Hermione sighed.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to take a few days. Maybe we could find the local magical community rather than going all the way back to London," Hermione suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we'll explore tomorrow. I'm not going today, Hermione. It may take a while to find it and it's going to be dark in about an hour," Draco added slumping onto the sofa.

"Fine," Hermione grumbled. She flicked her wand, vanishing the cauldron, ingredients and fire that were all still set on the worktop. She too then collapsed onto the sofa, summoning a couple of bottles of beer, uncorking one and handing the other to Draco.

[-||-]

Hermione woke early the next morning, a good few hours before Draco rose from his bed. She was very fidgety by the time Draco reached the kitchen at 8:30. She was excited to explore the magical community, getting somewhat sick of just the muggle area. She practically forced the food down Draco's throat before pulling him out of the door at a run.

"Chill out, Granger. It's not going to go anywhere," Draco hissed, rubbing at his arm where Hermione had just released him.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled. They walked down the high street in silence, pulling their jackets high against the brisk wind.

"Where are we going?" Draco finally asked, practically shouting against the howling wind.

"I don't know, where do you think?" Hermione responded loudly.

"Maybe we could try apparating, it's bloody freezing," Draco suggested. Hermione considered it for a moment and then agreed, it was rather cold and as they had no idea where they were going, apparating wouldn't exactly be the worst idea.

"What do we think about?" she asked.

"An alley like Diagon Alley, I can't imagine it would be much different," Draco suggested but Hermione could sense the hesitation in his voice.

"OK, maybe together just in case." Draco nodded in agreement. He took hold of Hermione's hand in his large gloved one and thinking of a magical pull they disappeared with a loud pop.

It took them three attempts until they found what they were looking for. They landed a little unsteadily in the middle of a bustling street and judging by the many coloured cloaks and some pointed hats they knew they had found a magical street. They shared a grin and made there way down the crowded street, keeping their eyes down and coats up.

It wasn't long until they found an Apothecary and pushed open the door. Hermione had made a list of what they were going to need for the Wolfsbane, including ingredients for pepper-up potions and other essential potions they could start brewing to build a bit more of a stock. She ripped it in half, handed one part to Draco and continued around the shop picking up the ingredients written on her bit of parchment. It took them less than 10 minutes to collect everything and meet at the cashier. Hermione's heart sank a bit as she saw the shop owner tallying up the price. She was going to have to find a job very soon. No way could she afford all of this for much longer. She had an amount of gold in Gringotts to last her maybe a couple more months but by Christmas she was going to start struggling unless she got paid sometime soon.

Fortunately for her though, Draco noticed the panicked expression that had flitted across her face.

"I'll pay for all this," Draco whispered in her ear. Hermione opened her mouth to protest but before she could say anything Draco interrupted her. "Just as long as you cook for the rest of the week."

"I…um…thanks Draco," Hermione responded with a smile. Draco paid, Hermione put the ingredients into her magically enhanced bag and together they left the Apothecary out into the chilly Autumnal day ready to explore their closest magical community some more.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it! I am currently working on ch18 so hopefully won't be too long until I update again, maybe Friday? Anyways I love reading your thoughts so don't forget to give me a review!)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry it's a bit later than I expected, I was busy and with limited wifi, but here you go! I hope you enjoy it, it's a lot better than the previous one I think so please leave a review 3**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 16**

Draco and Hermione were just walking down the high street of the magical area, which they found was called Tibertan, when Hermione suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Draco didn't notice for a few steps but then turned around and was surprised to see her pale and almost frightened. He walked back to her and reached out for her arm.

"What is it?"

"We…we need to leave now." Hermione didn't say why or anything but judging by the expression on her face now wasn't the time to ask. He took her hand and they disappeared with a pop, not bothering to move elsewhere. They landed in an alley back in Enisala and Hermione immediately hurried back to their flat. She unlocked the door and walked inside, not saying a word. She still looked pale and worried as she collapsed onto the sofa, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.

"Hermione, you're worrying me. What is it? What happened back there? Talk to me, Hermione," Draco almost sounded harsh. Hermione sighed but pulled away her hands, and started fiddling with them, not looking at Draco.

"Something happened on Friday night that I haven't told you about," Hermione started.

"Yeah, I thought something may have happened." Hermione scowled at the interruption.

"If you want me to talk to you, you're going to have to let me actually talk," Hermione said sternly, actually looking Draco in the eyes. She took a deep breath but then told him about her run in with the werewolf.

"And he was there, he was in Tibertan. I could smell him," Hermione finished. Draco didn't say anything for a few seconds, instead mulling over what he had just been told.

"You going to say anything?" Draco nodded slowly before he spoke.

"So, there's another werewolf nearby, who's a wizard and you communicated telepathically? And he was in Tibertan today?"

"Yes, Draco, that's what I just told you," Hermione sighed rolling her eyes.

"I just don't see what the issue is."

"There isn't an issue per say."

"Well then, why did you panic and why did we have to leave so suddenly?" Hermione hesitated.

"Because I didn't want him to know it was me. Like I said, he seemed familiar so what if I know him? And he hasn't told his family, so he clearly doesn't want other people to know," Hermione finally said.

"OK, but you know you're probably going to see him again at the next full moon, and the one after? So you can't exactly skirt around him forever. Like you said, telepathy is rare, and it's thought that only pack mates can communicate that way so perhaps you're going to belong to each other's packs in the future, so you definitely can't avoid him forever," Draco said.

"I know, but there's just a nagging feeling at the back of my head. I don't think I'm ready to know exactly who they are, and I definitely don't want him to know who I am yet," Hermione admitted quietly.

"That's fine though Hermione. Don't forget it's going to take a while. There's no need to panic about it, and so what if you find out who they are or them you? You're bound to get along, and if you don't, well it's not exactly hard to move somewhere else is it?" Draco responded seriously.

"Yeah, you're right. You always are and you have a great ability to make me feel like shit for how I act," Hermione groaned. Draco's lips turned up into a smile and he scooted along the sofa so he was sitting next to her and wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a hug.

"It's all going to be fine," he muttered into her bushy hair.

[-||-]

He spotted her out of the corner of her eye and it confirmed his suspicions. Even five days after the full moon his senses were heightened, and he could smell her. But he could also smell the fear that was radiating off of her. He turned around and caught sight of the bushy brown hair next to a head of sleek, blonde hair. Something inside of him fired up seeing her next to him but he tried to push it to the back of his mind. He watched as she suddenly stopped walking and knew her eyes were widening despite not being able to see her face. He watched her companion walk a little further before turning around and heading back to the witch. A few moments later and they disappeared with a pop that he could hear from where he stood.

He knew what she was feeling. He understood how she was feeling because he was the same. He knew exactly who she was and what she now was, but she didn't know him. She was scared to find out who he was, and she was terrified of him finding out who she was. It all made sense and he couldn't stop the twinge in his heart as he thought of the girl he had spent many a conversation with and gotten to know pretty well before they disappeared on their hunt. She was probably going through hell and by the looks of it she only had Draco Malfoy to confide in, and he doubted how much help the bigoted pure-blood would actually be. He scoffed as he headed back towards the pub where he was headed for an early lunch before his shift at work began.

[-||-]

The rest of the week passed easily and quickly. Hermione was recovered from the full moon faster than ever and it wasn't long until she was once again pestering Draco to start on the next batch of Wolfsbane, but he refused to give in, not letting her start it until the following Monday. So Hermione spent most of the week exploring both Enisala and Tibertan. That Thursday, just as she was leaving the book shop in Enisala, something happened to make her very excited.

"Hermione, wait up for a second," Deana called after the bushy-haired witch. Hermione turned around, letting go of the door hand and turning to face the shop-owner.

"Do you want to have a cuppa?" Hermione was shocked at the question but agreed nonetheless and followed the elderly woman into the back room. She was beckoned to sit down and so she waited a little nervously as she watched the Romanian bustle around making two cups of tea. Once Deana sat down an awkward kind of silence fell between the two of them.

"I know what you are," Deana finally said making Hermione choke on her tea. "You're a witch. And that blonde man I've seen you around with is a wizard." Hermione let out a sigh of relief but was relieved only for a second before she began to question how this woman found out.

"I'm a squib," she said catching sight of Hermione's confused face. "My husband was a wizard, but when he died during the First Wizarding War I didn't feel like I could stay in your world so I moved here, close enough to Tibertan if I needed it." Hermione sat there for a few seconds mulling over exactly what she had just been told.

"I'm sorry about your husband," Hermione said, sharing a smile with the woman.

"Thank you, dear. Now, I reckon you're wondering what I brought you hear for."

"Not just to tell me you know who I am then," Hermione said, raising and eyebrow.

"No," Deana laughed. "I'm getting a bit old now and I am beginning to struggle with working so many hours so I was wondering if you fancied working here. I've noticed how much you're here and how much you clearly love books so thought you'd be the best person for the job. Maybe a few hours a week to begin with but hopefully to three of four days a week in the near future?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock. Working in a book shop? Not exactly the exciting, daring job with dragons she had hoped for, but it was something. And it would be perfect for now as she set her life straight.

"Yes. I would absolutely love to help out. That sounds perfect and I can do as much as you want me to. I'm not exactly doing anything else with my life right now," Hermione said, a large smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you, Hermione. And, of course, you'll be paid for your efforts. It will probably be in muggle currency but if you really need I'm sure I can organise for it to be in galleons and such. Do you want to start tomorrow? Weekdays a often not as busy as weekends."

"Tomorrow's perfect. And whichever payment is easiest for you. I can easily convert anything into galleons to save you doing it," Hermione responded, her smile never leaving her face.

"Perfect. I will see you tomorrow, maybe about 10 o'clock?"

"See you tomorrow, Deana. And thank you," Hermione said standing up and leaving the bookshop, the grin still splattered across her face.

Her smile was so large that Draco took a double take as she wandered into the kitchen a little while later.

"Someone put a cheering charm on you?" he asked from the hob.

"No. I just got offered to work at the book shop. Starting tomorrow, just a few days a week though but it's something," Hermione said.

"That's great, Hermione. I'm happy for you. Looks like that bloody book you got helped one of us."

"Yeah, and maybe if you actually left this flat it may work for you too," Hermione responded with a smirk as she shrugged off her jacket and sat down on a stool.

"Zip it Granger or no dinner," Draco huffed turning his back to Hermione, fortunately missing the stuck out tongue he received.

[-||-]

Hermione woke early once again the next day, excited to be starting her job. Deciding to let off some of the steam that was building up she went for a walk in the early Autumn sun, returning back to find Draco cooking up some porridge.

"Excited for the job then?" he asked watching her fidget excitedly at the table.

"Yes," Hermione grinned in response.

"I can tell," Draco responded with an eye roll.

"Oh, shush." They finished their breakfast in silence before Hermione went for a shower to ready herself.

"Have a good day," Draco called as he heard the door open.

"And you. And maybe you could get off your arse," Hermione responded. Draco groaned but shooed her out of the flat, looking forward to a whole day to himself.

"Good morning, Hermione. It's good to see you," Deana said as Hermione entered the shop 10 minutes later.

"Morning, Deana."

"Feel free to leave your jacket in the back. I've left out a cuppa for you too if you fancy." Hermione smiled as she quickly threw her coat down and reappeared in the shop, eager to begin.

"OK, so a few quick things. There's not really much to do. I'll still organise all the orders and such so when you're in it will primarily be manning the store, keeping it clean and tidy, helping customers out, providing suggestions, and keeping on top of the cashier really. Does that sound OK to you?"

"That sounds great," Hermione said excitedly. Deana didn't miss the eagerness in the young girl's voice and knew she had made the right decision.

"Well, I don't think there's a better way to get you involved that throwing you into the deep end. I'll leave you to it today. I'll be back to help close up a bit before 5. I'm sure you will be fine but if you do need me I'll be just upstairs. Got a few errands to run but I won't be far," Deana said. Hermione was complete shocked. There was no way she was expecting to be completely in charge of the whole store on her first day. Deana must have noticed the surprise because she couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"You're going to be fine, Hermione. Friday's aren't really too busy, nothing you won't be able to handle, I promise."

"Thanks, Deana," Hermione said quietly.

"Good, well I'll be off. See you later Hermione, and good luck." And with that Dena bustled out of the shop, giving Hermione a small wave of the way out. Hermione stood there for a few seconds but then went out back and grabbed the tea, needing something to calm her nerves.

The day went pretty smoothly for Hermione. She had less than 10 customers, all who were extremely pleasant. She sorted out a few of the shelves, where the books had been put back haphazardly. She made notes in the ledger, swept the floor and all together had a pretty good day. It was calm, and tame but it didn't make her any less excited for the upcoming weeks.

"Good day?" a voice came from the door a little before 5.

"Yes, it was actually," Hermione responded from where she was dusting the lamps.

"Anyone cause any problems?"

"No, everyone was very nice and friendly. Took a while to locate Mr Charlu's order but found it after a bit of rummaging."

"Ah, yes I forgot to mention specific orders are put by the sofa out the back."

"All good. How was your day?" Hermione asked, heading back towards the cashier.

"It was very nice, thank you. Got lots of things done that I wouldn't have got done for a while," Deana said. "So closing down. Pretty simple. Remove all the cash from the desk and put it into the safe by the safe. Turn off the lights, close the blinds and lock the doors. Pretty simple. I shall get you a set of keys cut sometime this weekend. Would you be able to work Sunday, it's only 10 until 4 but I said I would meet my niece for lunch over in Tulcea?"

"Yes, of course that's fine no problem. You don't need help tomorrow then?"

"No, tomorrow's fine thanks. I'll be here to open up on Sunday for you though."

"Great, I'll see you Sunday morning. Have a good day tomorrow," Hermione said with a wave and grabbing her coat she bundled out into the blistery evening.

[-||-]

Hermione was mid-way through her lunch out back on Sunday when she heard the bell above the door go. She quickly put her apple away and hurried out to the store front, stopping in her tracks as she caught sight of the very distinctive Weasley hair in the corner.

"Charlie?" she called. The man turned around and stared in shock at Hermione.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" he questioned, making his way over to the witch.

"I work a few days a week here," Hermione explained leaning against the desk.

"That's cool. You not up for the job at the reserve then?" he asked with a grin.

"Not yet, I don't think. Sorry, Charlie, but maybe one day soon. And I feel bad leaving here after just a few days."

"No problems, I understand." Hermione smiled at him.

"You feeling better then?" she asked.

"What? Oh yeah, much thank you. Sorry for such late notice," Charlie responded momentarily forgetting about cancelling their coffee meeting earlier in the week. "How have you been? It's been a while since I last saw you."

"Pretty good, thanks. Settling in well and excited to have started working here. What about you? How are the dragons?" Hermione responded.

"The dragons are well, I'll get you to come visit some time next week. It's been very busy recently unfortunately."

"Oh really, how come?" Hermione questioned.

"Just going into winter can be a bit difficult and some of the dragons can be hard to control in climates that they're not used to, which seems odd given that all of them experience winter each year," Charlie explained.

"I see. Well I would love to come visit at some point, but no hurry," Hermione said beginning to fiddle with her fingers. Something seemed a bit off about Charlie, and she couldn't quite put her fingers on it. A silence fell between them, not an awkward one but not exactly a calm, friendly one that she often experienced with Draco.

"So, what brings you to this shop then?" Hermione finally asked trying to break the silence.

"This shop sells some of the best fiction books I've read, and I've been needing to get a new one for a while now," Charlie said.

"Oh really," Hermione said standing up her eyes twinkling. Muggle fiction books were one of her specialities. She walked around the desk and towards the fiction area of the shop.

"So, what were some of the last books you read?" she asked, scanning the shelves.

"I just finishes _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , and before that I read _1984_ , _The Catcher in the Rye,_ and _Lord of the Flies_ ," Charlie responded listing off some classics.

"Hmm…OK so you seem to enjoy the classics. Have you read _A Tale of Two Cities_ or _Great Expectations_?" Hermione asked pulling out two large books from the shelves. Charlie shook his head.

"Right, so I think these two then and while you're enjoying Charles Dickens we'll add _Oliver Twist_ to the list," Hermione said reaching to grab a third book, promptly dropping the two books in her arms. They both immediately bent down to pick them up, their hands brushing against each other in the process. Hermione pulled her hand away as if she had been electrocuted and stared up into Charlie's deep blue eyes. She was shocked at his icy cold skin.

"Charlie?" she almost whispered. "Is everything OK?"

"Everything's fine, Hermione. More than fine," Charlie responded, a little tartly standing up, the two books in his arms. "I'll just pay for these and let you get on with the rest of you shift." Hermione looked at him, confused by his sudden change in personality. She got to her feet, received the money from Charlie and bade him goodbye with no plan to meet again.

 **(A/N: what did you think? please leave your thoughts in a review, I love every single one of them and makes me continue writing cos I know you are actually enjoyed it)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The next weeks passed in a whirlwind of potion making, book selling and coffee drinking and before she knew it, the full moon was that evening.

"So, you know what you're going to do if you come across him, yeah?" Draco asked as Hermione packed her bag ready for the night.

"Yes, Draco," Hermione groaned not looking over at him. She knew he was worried about her. He always was around the full moon and it hadn't helped she had come back from work earlier in a foul mood.

"Well, I'd best be going," Hermione said, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"See you in the morning," he whispered into her ear as he gave her a brief one-armed hug. Hermione tried to give him a small smile in return before hurrying out of the flat and towards her clearing.

It wasn't long until werewolf Hermione let out a howl into the night and stood on all fours, surveying the area. She could smell him, of course she could, and she could tell he was closer than last time. But there was a part of her not willing to go and meet him. As a human she hadn't been in the greatest moods today after an angry customer in the shop earlier and apparently that had translated into her wolfish form so no she wasn't going to go looking for him. If he so desperately wanted to see her he would have to come to her. She knew she would meet the wrath of Draco if he found out she didn't go but right then she didn't care. And so Hermione the wolf sniffed around for a little bit, went for a short run in the opposite direction before curling up in the clearing and falling asleep.

She woke up with a start, jumping straight to her feet, at the sound of a cracking twig nearby. Her better eyesight located a large four-legged figure walking around in the trees. She knew exactly who it was and a shiver went down her spine at the thought. She stood there, waiting and ready for him to appear. It didn't take long though, he must have been aware that she had now woken up.

 _"You didn't come to meet me."_ It was a statement rather than a question. Hermione let out a sigh.

 _"No,"_ she responded in her head, pushing all thoughts away, knowing that he may be able to decipher them,

 _"Why?"_ It was an innocent enough question, but it made Hermione furious. They had met once, for less than 20 minutes, a month ago. Why was he making it out to be that they had to meet each other at every other full moon? What if she didn't want to see him?

 _"I'm not in the mood,"_ Hermione thought simply. She could tell he was agitated and confused by her reaction.

 _"Oh,"_ he replied in surprise. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the grey wolf and bared her teeth in a growl. She was angry, both from earlier that day and from the wolf's presence. She didn't know why him being there was pissing her off so bad but it was and she didn't want to see him. The wolf was obviously surprised at her reaction and took a step back.

 _"Woah, calm down, I'll leave,"_ the other wolf hurriedly thought. But something clicked in Hermione's wolfish brain. Something she wasn't able to locate but it made her change her mind. So, she shook her head.

 _"No, you can stay. I'm sorry."_ Hermione crouched back down, cocking her head at the wolf. The grey wolf hesitated clearly still worried about Hermione and what she may do next. After sensing she had calmed down took a few steps towards her and sat down in front of her. They looked at each other for a while, not saying, or rather thinking, anything.

 _"How have you been this month?"_ the wolf finally asked.

 _"Not bad, thanks. You?"_

 _"Yeah, OK. Work's been busy but nothing too hard."_ Another silence fell. It was getting a little awkward between them, but Hermione didn't know to do or say. It was then that she remembered her conversation with Draco just a few days previously. She took a deep breath, not quite sure on whether to go ahead with the plan or not. She knew she should, she couldn't keep it away for much longer, but there was such a large part of her that just wasn't ready for it.

 _"I know what you're thinking."_ The wolf's voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts. Hermione looked at him, her eyes widening in shock,

 _"Not literally this time. I know when you want time and space and so close the link. But I reckon I could have a pretty good stab at it."_ Hermione sighed in relief. She would have been distraught knowing that none of her thoughts were safe from him. At least he had the decency to respect she wanted time to go over her own thoughts without him reading them.

 _"I reckon you want to know who I am."_ Hermione hesitated but agreed. Hermione saw he was just about to open his mouth when she caught sight of the lightening sky. She interrupted him,

 _"Go. It's nearly day. I'll see you around,"_ Hermione's voice was fierce and stern, and the wolf knew he didn't have a choice. He jumped to his feet, said goodbye, and ran off, not wanting a long trek home naked and cold when the sun rose. Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She wanted to know exactly who he was, she had a hunch but couldn't confirm it. Really, she did but she just wasn't ready for the questions, pity and everything else that came with it. She knew he probably knew who she was but it scared her to actually admit it. This way, it gave her at least a week or so until she saw him as a human.

Half an hour later, Hermione pushed open the door to the flat. She didn't go to the kitchen but rather collapsed onto the sofa. She was exhausted, OK maybe not quite as tired as last time, but she needed some food and her bed. Her body ached, her muscles stiff and her joints creaked with every movement. She felt as if her body had aged another 50 years over night. It wasn't long until Draco appeared, levitating a large plate of food and a glass of orange juice in front of him. Hermione adjusted her position so she was sitting and eagerly accepted the breakfast.

"Thanks, Draco," she murmured happily after a few mouthfuls. They shared a smile.

"Now, how was last night and the big reveal?" he asked as they finished and he had banished the plated to the kitchen sink. He motioned for Hermione to rest her feet on his lap and he started massaging the pressure out of them and her calves.

"It didn't happen," Hermione muttered closing her eyes at the amazing feeling of Draco's hands working magic.

"Hermione," Draco warned making her clamp her eyes shut even more not wanting to see the look she was receiving.

"I tried. It almost happened. But then it was almost light so I sent him away," Hermione groaned.

"You are a nightmare witch some time," Draco sighed.

"I know. I did try, really I did. I was truly battling all my thoughts and everything. And it was going to happen. But I knew he wasn't exactly local and I didn't want him to have to walk back naked and all in October," Hermione said truthfully, avoiding Draco's gaze.

"You know it's highly likely he's a wizard so could have just apparated," Draco pointed out.

"Draco?"

"Hmm."

"Shut up." Draco smirked as silence fell and it wasn't long until Hermione's breaths deepened with sleep as he continued to massage her feet.

[-||-]

It was a little over a week later that it happened. Hermione had just finished a morning shift at Deana's book shop and decided to head to Tibertan for lunch at her favourite café. She apparated to a narrow alley off the high street and made her way towards the café, barrelled up against the bitter wind. The actual temperature wasn't cold and the sun was beating down on them but they had been experiencing strong, chilling winds, which made the temperature drop at least 10 degrees.

Hermione had just finished her lunch, a warming pumpkin soup, and was wandering back down the high street, wanting to pop into the apothecary for a couple of ingredients when someone suddenly seized her upper arm. Before she could grab her wand she was being sucked through the tunnel of apparition, with no idea where she was headed. Her heart was thumping fast in her chest, terrified at where she was being taken, who had grabbed her and what they were going to do with her. She landed with a thump but managed to stay on her feet. She didn't even take in her surroundings before she whipped her wand out and turned on her attacker, a jinx right on the edge of her tongue.

"Charlie?"

"Sorry about that. I didn't want to have to do that, but I knew you wouldn't come with me if I asked for a chat," he responded sheepishly, his hands thrusted low into his jean pockets.

"Why would you think that?" she asked, lowering her wand but not loosening her grip. Charlie shrugged and she knew he was being pathetic.

"Well, in future how about you just ask rather than scaring the shit out of me and apparating me away," she suggested snidely, her eyes narrowing and her voice raising in anger.

"Sorry," he murmured to the ground. There was silence.

"Well what did you want to talk to me about then?" she asked. But Charlie didn't answer her question. Instead he just surveyed her.

"Coffee?" he asked, turning around and heading to a small kitchenette.

"Sure?" she answered hesitantly as she looked around. They were in a relatively small living room, with just a sofa, armchair, coffee table as the only furniture. A desk and chair had been shoved up against the window. Hermione looked out and admired the view of the mountains.

"This your humble abode?" she asked, following Charlie and leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, nothing too exciting but it does the job," he answered, pouring the boiled water into two mugs and handing one to her.

"It's nice," Hermione observed, taking the coffee and sipping at it. It sent a calming warmth through her body and she immediately felt more relaxed.

"So, you didn't answer me. What was so important you had to steal me from the middle of Tibertan?" she asked. Once again, Charlie ignored her but walked back towards the living room and sat down on the sofa. He turned around and gestured for Hermione to sit, so she did raising her eyebrows at him, waiting for an answer.

"I would have thought that were obvious," he finally said, not looking her in the eye.

"Charlie, please quit being so cryptic and just tell me," she groaned, her anger bubbling away in the pit of her stomach once more. She was not in the mood for this.

"I…ummm…well…ok…wow this is a lot harder than I had expected," he stuttered, still avoiding her piercing look.

"For Merlin's sake, Charlie. I have things I need to do and if I'm not back soon Draco is going to panic. Either tell me or I'm going to leave," Hermione exclaimed, her voice a lot louder than she had intended.

"Do you not smell it?" he finally said so quietly that Hermione had to do a double take to realise what he had said.

"Smell wha-oh." Charlie looked up at her.

"You?" she whispered, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth opened in an O. Charlie nodded.

"Since when?" she asked.

"I think you know the answer to that," he slumped against the sofa.

"But…I…how?" she finally settled on asking. Charlie let out a bark of laughter.

"Hermione, I know you've been dubbed the brightest witch of her age but right now you're not really proving that title," he laughed, making Hermione blush a little.

"I…can I see it?" Charlie cocked his head at her. That was certainly not the question he had been expecting. He put his mug down on the table and leant down. Hermione watched in curiosity as he pulled off one of his boots and rolled up the cuff of his trousers. Hermione also bent down to have a look, it took a while to find what she was looking for. Right around his ankle where a number of small dark pink indentations, each no bigger than the size of a pea. She couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped her lips, earning a frown from Charlie.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, he didn't exactly waste any time, one quick bite and he was gone," he said morosely, pushing his trousers back down.

"Wow. That's kinda…crazy," Hermione said sitting back up. Charlie frowned back at her as he too sat up after pulling his boot back on.

"Well, it's just that I find it weird how those tiny specks were enough to…to turn you," she said honestly, a flush rising up her neck. Charlie shrugged.

"I guess it doesn't matter, as soon as a tiny bit of their saliva gets into your blood you're done." Hermione nodded but didn't say anything. They sat there for a little while, drinking their coffees until she did something completely unexpected. She put down her mug and shrugged off her jacket. She then pulled off her jumper and shirt so she was sitting in just her bra. But for some reason she didn't care. She watched as Charlie spotted her own bite, still raw and tender. It spread across the whole of her right shoulder, up the side of her neck, going down pass her collarbone and onto her shoulder blade. She was missing a few layers of skin and it looked to Charlie as if the werewolf had tried to eat her rather than just take a bite. He reached out and gently touched the worse part of it, just at the crook of her neck. She flinched at his touch but then relaxed.

"He didn't want to stop," she said, surprised that a tear had trickled down her cheek.

"Was…was it Greyback?" he asked quietly, running his fingers over the edges of the scar. Hermione nodded.

"I…I should have died. I was lucky Remus appeared and killed him so he let go. But in falling he ripped at my skin, that's why the scar goes all the way down here," she said pointing at the top of her breast where Charlie saw two thick red scars finished. He looked up at Hermione, making eye contact with her. There was a deeper connection between them than they would have expected. Charlie supposed that was what happened when you were both werewolves.

"The battle?" he asked and Hermione nodded.

"And so you ran?"

"Yeah, I couldn't bare the thought of what people think of me. It scared me and I guess I wasn't thinking straight. And now I've made it so much worse and can't do anything about it. I'm already shunned enough as it is being a muggle-born and now, well, now it'll be a thousand times worse," she said sadly, dropping her head, more tears spilling onto her chest. Charlie stopped tracing her scar and reached out. He put two fingers under her chin and lifted her head up so they were looking at each other. He wiped away the tears that were trickling down her cheeks with his thumb and then wrapped his arms around her naked body pulling her into a hug.

"That's the same reason I haven't told anyone," he whispered into her ear as he gently stroked her back. He felt her nod in his embrace. They sat there for a long time, Hermione crying silently into his chest and Charlie unable to stop his own tears falling into her hair.

After a while Hermione pulled away. She flushed a deep red upon realising she was topless and hurried to pull on her shirt and jumper. Once she was clothed she let out a sigh and slumped against the sofa. Charlie reached out and took her hand in his.

"You know you can talk to me about anything," he said quietly. Hermione smiled meekly.

"I don't think I'm ready to talk yet," she said honestly. Charlie understood. "But maybe soon." Charlie looked into those deep, chocolate eyes and deep down he could see the hope she had. He smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"Do you mind if I stay a little? You have a very different aura to Draco and I appreciate the calmness."

"Of course. I'm not on call until 8 this evening so stay as long as you want," he smiled.

"Thank you, Charlie. And thank you for scaring me shitless earlier. I'm glad I know, and I think I'm glad you know. Now there are three of you who know, and I hope it might make it easier later," she said, looking into his blue eyes.

"Well you're the first in five years, so I guess that's progress for me too," he said with a dry chuckle. Hermione smiled but it didn't quite spread to her eyes. Charlie moved his arm to around her shoulders and pulled her across the sofa, so she was sitting against him. He wrapped his arms around her, as if he was protecting her. She had a long way to go and he knew it was going to be him to guide her. He pushed away all other thoughts and just focussed on ways to make everything easier for her. And you never know but in helping her she would actually be able to help him find some closure and tell everyone about, well, everything.

Hermione rested her head against his chest, the sound of his heart comforting her greatly. Maybe this was the start of her next chapter. The chapter in which she was finally able to accept what she was, that it wasn't changing any time soon and that no one who mattered to her would have an issue with her new life.

 **(A/N: there you go! I hope you enjoyed it, the chapter I reckon you've all be waiting for - please leave your thoughts in a review, I'm a bit stuck for the next chapter so hopefully you'll give me some motivation to have a crack! Much love to all you loyal readers as usual!)**


	18. Chapter 18

**It's a little bit longer than usual, I got a bit carried away! Hope you enjoy it, leave your thoughts in a review!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 18**

Hermione didn't realise she had fallen asleep until she felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Hermione. You should probably get going," a voice came from slightly above her, startling her awake. It took her a couple of seconds to remember where she was and what had happened. Seeing Charlie looking down at her calmed her shock, however.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I…um…thanks for the coffee. I guess I'll see you around," she stuttered jumping to her feet.

"I'll get you to the reserve soon, I promise," he said, also standing up. Hermione smiled and walked towards the door.

"Bye, Charlie," she called over her shoulder as she pulled open the door and stepped into the bitter wind and shut the door behind her. She leant against the wall beside the door and closed her eyes, trying to deepen her breathing. She was surprised but she wasn't. she had had a hunch it was Charlie for a while and it was almost a relief to know he was there for her. But she knew her hiding wasn't going to last for much longer now that Charlie was aware of everything. It wasn't going to be long until everyone knew. She could already picture the headlines flashing across the top of The Daily Prophet _GRANGER IS A MONSTER, MUGGLE-BORN GRANGER SHUNNED FOR BEING A WEREWOLF._

Hermione took a couple more deep breaths before twisting on the spot and apparating back to an alley in Enisala. She tried to put a smile on her face as she wandered down the high street and entered her flat. She was surprised to find the flat empty but didn't think anything of it. She also wanted some alone time so after grabbing a glass of water she headed to her room and flung herself onto her bed, locking the door behind her. Her mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, thoughts and thoughts racing through them she just didn't know how to start filtering through them.

She must have fallen asleep because it was a long while later that she heard a gentle knocking on her door. She grunted out a response and moments later Draco Malfoy stuck his head into the now dark room. Hermione rolled over and rubbed at her eyes to focus on him. She was surprised to see a large grin spread across his face.

"What is it Draco?" she asked sitting up and gesturing for him to sit next to her.

"I got a job," he beamed at her as he settled next to her on the bed.

"You did? Well done," Hermione said trying to portray enthusiasm but failing somewhat.

"I thought you'd be a bit happier for me," he said, his smile faltering.

"I am happy for you, Draco, very happy. I…I just had a bit of a difficult afternoon," she said trying once again to plaster a smile on her face.

"What happened?" he asked, immediately forgetting about his own news. It was something that Hermione never failed to notice, he would always put his own life on hold to help her.

"I…I met him," she whispered after a long pause. Realisation dawned on Draco's face.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh," she murmured avoiding his gaze. A silence fell between the two friends.

"Who is it?" he finally asked. Hermione hesitated. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell him, of course she did, he was fast becoming her best friend and brotherly companion, but that would be betraying Charlie. He hadn't told anyone, she was the first, and only, person who knew so it felt wrong to just go straight and tell Draco, an ex-Slytherin nonetheless. Draco didn't press her though and she felt no obligation to say anything for a long while.

"I don't think I can tell you," she responded quietly. She turned her head and caught contact with his grey eyes, that portrayed no kind of emotion.

"Right," was all he said before they fell into another silence, this one slightly more awkward than the previous ones until Hermione broke it a few minutes later.

"What's the job?" she inquired.

"You know the potion shop in Tibertan?" Hermione nodded.

"I'm basically just a potion maker, nothing flash really but it's something to keep me out of trouble. Don't worry though, your wolfsbane will still be a priority," he added as he caught sight of her concerned look, which immediately morphed into a grin.

"Good for you, Draco. We should go and celebrate." And just like that Hermione jumped out of bed, dragging Draco to his feet in the process of running out of her room. Draco barely had any time to register what was going on, fortunately having the sense to grab a coat on the way out, until he found himself shoved by Hermione into a booth in a small pub, neither of whom had previously entered. It wasn't much longer until he had a pint of beer thrust into his hands was sipping happily, enjoying the cool liquid and the company.

"You know what?" Hermione said as they were half way through their second drink. She was slurring her words slightly, her eyes getting wider and her hair frizzier. Draco knew she was well on her way to becoming very drunk.

"What?" he asked, eyeing her curiously as she took another rather large gulp of beer.

"Never in a million years did I think I would find myself sitting in a pub, a Romanian one at that, across from Draco Malfoy, my ex-nemesis, celebrating him getting a job as a potion maker," she hiccupped, her golden-brown eyes shining in admiration. Draco snorted.

"You want to know something, Hermione?" She nodded, unable to form any words. Draco leant over the table so his mouth was right by her ear.

"Neither did I," he whispered. Hermione giggled at the tickling of his breath against her ear. She turned her head to look at him and their eyes made contact. And something clicked inside of Draco. Even if she didn't have any feelings for him that didn't mean he wasn't going to just give up like that. He had found himself beginning to fall head over heels for the witch and there was no way he wasn't going to try and pursue whatever it was he felt. He leant forward even closer. He could see the surprise, and almost fear, in Hermione's eyes but she didn't pull away. He reached out and ran his thumb down her cheek, relishing the smooth skin under his touch. He grinned as she shivered under his touch. Knowing that she would majorly object to what he wanted so desperately to do he instead settled for planting a gentle kiss on her forehead before sitting back against the back of the booth. He smirked as he caught sight of the blush spreading up her cheeks.

A relaxed silence fell between the duo as Draco watched Hermione get flustered and take a few more sips of beer, trying to avoid his eyes. They managed to find it in themselves to pass the rest of the night, talking easily and amicably. Draco's eyes never drifted from the witch's face and eyes. He was becoming increasingly aware of the affect she was beginning to have on him, especially in her rather intoxicated state as it meant she had stripped off her jacket and jumper leaving her in just a tight fitted t-shirt. When she asked for a third drink he took charge and made them leave, knowing there was no way she would make it through another drink.

They stepped out into the cool night air, Hermione shivering rather significantly. Draco pulled off his own jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, bring her cold body into his trying to pass on some of his body heat to her. They walked side by side through the town back towards their flat, neither of them talking just welcoming each other's company. Draco lead Hermione to her bed but before he could even give her a sobering potion she fell asleep almost instantly.

"Sleep well, Hermione," he whispered as he brushed a stray curl off her face to tuck it behind her ear. He leant down and planted a kiss on her forehead, his heart racing at the sight of her peaceful face.

[-||-]

Hermione woke the next morning with a pounding head, worse than ever before. It took her a while to remember what had happened, although she did not remember making it back to her bed. She sat up, groaning as the pounding increased even more.

"Ah, so sleeping beauty has finally woken up," a voice came from the door to her room. She looked over and saw Draco standing there, his typical smirk plastered on her face. Hermione rolled her eyes, only to grab her head. It turned out that movement only made her headaches worse. Much to her relief Draco handed her a bottle of a green potion informing her it was hangover potion.

"I haven't poisoned it," he said sitting down on her bed. Hermione eyed it carefully as if she was waiting to explode in her hands. When it didn't she raised it to her lips and downed it in one. Its effect was instantaneous.

"Let me guess I drank too much last night," she said falling back against her pillows.

"Indeed," Draco smirked.

"And you didn't?" Hermione asked as she closed her eyes.

"Hermione, dear, I can handle two drinks I'll have you know," he said with an eyeroll. Hermione hit him across the back of the head.

"For that, you can bring me breakfast in bed," Hermione said.

"Breakfast? Hermione, its nearly 2 in the afternoon," Draco said. This made Hermione jump to her feet immediately.

"It's what? But I was meant to be at work at 10. Merlin, I need to go. Why did you not wake me up? Draco I'm going to kill you," she shouted hurriedly rushing around her room in search of clothes.

"Hermione! Relax. I went in and told her you were sick," Draco said reaching out and grabbing her arm. He pulled her back to the bed so they were now sat shoulder to shoulder.

"You did what? Why didn't you just wake me?" Hermione asked again.

"Why would I do that? You looked so peaceful," Draco replied honestly, knowing he wouldn't get away with a lie. Hermione punched him in the shoulder.

"But I had work. You should have woken me up," she said indignantly.

"Well, next time I'll remember," Draco said rubbing at his arm knowing he would see a bruise the following day.

"Yes you had better remember," Hermione said through gritted teeth as she jumped to her feet and started towards the hall.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked following her, still rubbing his arm.

"To get some food," Hermione responded sharply.

Twenty minutes later found Hermione and Draco sat across from each other eating their cheese and ham toasties.

"You going to tell me any more about the mystery wolf?" Draco asked as if he was simply asking the time.

"No," Hermione grunted. Draco raised his eyebrows at her. Hermione sighed.

"What do you want to know?" she asked giving in to his look, at which he let out a broad smile.

"Well, given you won't tell me who he is, you can tell me is he a wizard?"

"Yes," Hermione said not looking at him.

"Is he local?" Draco asked, keeping the questions simple to begin with.

"Yes."

"Does he live in Tibertan?"

"I…I don't know," Hermione replied truthfully. She knew Charlie lived at the reserve but where the reserve was she wasn't entirely sure.

"But you were there yesterday."

"I know but I didn't exactly take note of exactly where he lived. I had other things on my mind so sorry to disappoint Draco," she replied tartly.

"OK, no need to take that tone with me. Does he at least work in Tibertan?" Draco asked in mock surrender.

"I don't think so," Hermione murmured quietly.

"You don't know? What on earth did you talk about?"

"Other more important things," Hermione groaned rubbing at her temples. Draco was giving her a headache.

"Hm…is he older or younger?"

"What sort of question is that?" Hermione asked heatedly.

"Older or younger, Granger?" Hermione sighed, she couldn't even be bothered to put up a fight.

"Older."

"Do I know him?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Hm…is he Romanian?"

"No."

"European?"

"He's British."

"Oh, so I probably do know him."

"No, he's quite a bit older," Hermione said. She was getting close to slipping out an telling him who Charlie was. "Enough interrogation, Draco." She crossed her arms across her chest as she leant back in her chair, glaring at Draco. When they were younger, Draco would have continued but after living with her for over 4 months he knew better than to provoke her anymore, so he just left it. He would get it out of her soon. He didn't like the sound of her hanging around an older, British wizard, who was almost definitely in her pack. Who knew what would happen next between them?

[-||-]

Hermione was just locking up the book shop a few days later when she sensed someone watching her. She turned carefully, her hand reaching into her pocket to grip her wand. Even in a muggle village the other side of Europe she was still jumpy and didn't want to take a risk. She let out a sigh of relief as she caught sight of the recognisable head of flaming red hair.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" she asked, walking over towards him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner," he asked, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets a sheepish look flitting across his face.

"Yes, of course. Draco's working late tonight so I'd love to," Hermione responded with a grin. The comment however made Charlie tense, something even Hermione noticed.

"What is it Charlie?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Let's go. There's a lovely Italian restaurant tucked away down the street," he said as she turned around and walked off, leaving Hermione to almost jog to keep up with him. Truth be told he wasn't alright. He did not like the thought of Hermione only making her plans because of what Draco Malfoy was doing. He also didn't like her calling him Draco. And he still didn't like the thought of her living by herself with that Slytherin git.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of having dinner with Charlie Weasley?" Hermione asked as the waiter disappeared with their orders.

"I thought it would be nice to catch up some more given, well, given what we both…are," Charlie said, somewhat hesitantly. Hermione nodded, waiting for him to lead the conversation, but Charlie didn't know quite what to ask so they ended up just sitting there in silence, which Hermione finally ended up breaking.

"Charlie, have you really not told anyone about you? Or is it just your mother?" Charlie couldn't help but laugh making Hermione frown at him.

"No, I haven't told anyone, not even my best friend at the reserve, or my boss," he muttered.

"But why?"

"I would have thought you'd know the answer to that, Hermione. You are the one who ran off, scaring everyone shitless. We had no idea what had happened to you, we all thought you had died," Charlie said, almost angrily.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said so quietly Charlie almost didn't hear her.

"No. You can't just say you're sorry, Hermione. You've broken everyone's hearts just leaving everyone like that. You literally disappeared off the face of the earth. We were terrified so don't just sit there and say you're sorry. We had to learn from Remus you were fine. Why did he know before us? You couldn't even grace us with an owl saying you were fine. It's going to need more that just a 'sorry' for people to forgive you," Charlie said, his voice getting louder. Hermione's eyes stung with tears, she didn't even try to wipe them away. She knew she had been selfish by just disappearing and she regretted it within a week but by then she had made matters so bad she couldn't just go back.

"I…I don't know what to say. I was an idiot. I panicked and just fled. I was scared and I didn't want everyone to shun me even more," she whispered, staring straight into Charlie's eyes. He knew then that there was more to the girl sitting in front of him than he first thought. She was almost irreversibly broken. It was going to take a long time for her to trust him and anyone else.

"No one would shun you, Hermione. Everyone loves you. Look at Remus, everyone accepts him. No one cares," Charlie said, his voice softening as he reached out and took her hand.

"I know that now, but not then. It was a spur of a moment action and I regret it. Not only am I a mudblood but I'm also a freakin' werewolf. I would have been kicked out of society. I wouldn't have got a job or anything. I was scared, Charlie. I still am," Hermione said, tears spilling more freely now.

"Hermione, you're overthinking it. You would never have been kicked out. You're a war heroine. Everyone idolises you –"

"They idolise me because they don't know I'm a monster," she growled.

"You are not a monster. Never, ever say that again," Charlie said sternly.

"Why do you care? It's not as if you don't have your own secret either. It's very hypocritical of you to be telling me I'm in the wrong when you haven't even told anyone you've been a werewolf for five years. How do you think your family will react?" Hermione asked, her eyes glistening with more than just tears and sadness. Charlie could tell she was concerned, worried, exhausted, angry, upset and every other emotion in between.

"That's beside the point."

"No. No it's not. If you're going to tell me I'm being an idiot then you had better expect me to tell you are exactly the same," Hermione said fiercely.

"But –"

"No, no buts. Tell me, Charlie, why haven't you told anyone about you? I've left it, what five months, you've gone five years. Why?" Hermione's voice was so soft and full of emotion that it made Charlie's eyes water.

"I was scared. I didn't want to lose my job. I was in such a good place. It wasn't exactly something to put into a letter back home and I didn't go home for over a year after until I brought the dragon's over for the Triwizard Tournament, hardly the best opportunity to break it to everyone. So I left it and then I just assumed I'd never have to tell everyone," he said honestly, hanging his head.

"See. You have no right to tell me I'm in the wrong. You've left it half a decade, Charlie. It is going to be so much worse if people find out it's been so long," Hermione said.

"So they won't find out it's been so long. I'll tell them it happened in the lead up to the war and I didn't want to worry anyone." Hermione huffed in response.

"OK. I've messed up bad, but we both have. If you go back and tell everyone, I will," Charlie suggested.

"It's going to take more than that to make me go home, Charlie. Like you said, I full on disappeared. You just withheld the truth," Hermione said morosely. Charlie reached out and took her hands in his.

"We're going to get through this. Together. I promise," he said giving her a smile. Hermione smiled back, it not quite reaching her still glistening eyes.

"Thank you, Charlie," she whispered, running her thumb over the top of his hand.

"Is everything OK, here?" a voice came from the side. Charlie and Hermione both laughed. They knew they looked a sight, both with red-rimmed eyes, gripping each other's hands.

"Yes, fine thank you," they both responded together. The waiter just eyed them and walked away, very confused.

 **(A/N: I really enjoyed writing their interaction, I hope you enjoyed reading it! Don't forget reviews = love (and motivation ahah)!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**I am so so sorry it's been forever, I have been crazy busy since I got back from Australia and just haven't had the time to sit down and write, but I finally got it done - I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave me a review, I promise it will make me more likely to write the next chapter quicker!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 19**

Hermione was curled up on the sofa reading a book that weekend when a loud rapping sound came from the window. Looking up she smiled at the sight of a large, tawny bird flapping its wings in an attempt to stay in line with the window in the gale. She knew exactly who it was from; Charlie had told her he would owl about seeing the reserve. She unhooked the latch and let the bird swoop in. Once she had taken the letter, it made no move to leave but rather watched her curiously with its large, amber eyes. Hermione unfolded the parchment and read the contents, struggling somewhat with the untidy scrawl inside.

 _Hermione,_

 _I do hope your Saturday is going spiffingly, much better than mine I imagine as one of the young Hungarian Horntails escaped its nest and we spent well over 3 hours at 4 o'clock this morning trying to get it back inside! I am sure you know why I am writing – I need another recommendation for a book to read. I've managed to get through all of those excellent ones you made me buy a while back. Maybe something a little more upbeat this time though, with a bit of action? I seem to recall you saying you're working all day Tuesday, I'll pop in during my lunch break – maybe I could even persuade a delightful witch to accompany me for some lunch?_

 _Anyways, I must fly (figuratively and literally as it's my turn to do the search over the top) and I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday._

 _All the best, as always,_

 _Charlie_

 _P.S. Tomorrow, 11 am, outside the Barnova Cafe_

 _P.P.S Hero won't leave without a reply – a bit annoying sometimes!_

Hermione smiled at the letter, evidently part of the Weasley clan with his jokes. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought of all the other Weasleys she was currently letting down so badly. She grabbed a piece of parchment, scribbled a response and sent Hero on his way. She curled back up on the sofa, her heart beating fast, already excited for the following day.

[-||-]

Hermione arrived at the café early on Sunday morning, her excitement level reaching boiling point, so Draco kicked her out of the house. Charlie didn't exactly say why they were meeting but she was fairly sure she knew why. She sat outside, a cold mug of coffee in front of her, her knees bouncing madly. She spotted the distinctive red hair and freckled face before he noticed her.

"Charlie," she nodded as he stood in front of her.

"Hermione, how are you on this fine morning?" he asked giving her a brief hug and planting a kiss on each cheek.

"I'm spiffing thank you," Hermione said with a grin, making Charlie laugh. It definitely was a fine morning, not a cloud in the sky and the bitter wind had finally subsided after weeks.

"We'll just head over there and then we can apparate," Charlie said nodding towards a deserted alley. He rested a hand on the small of her back as he guided her down the street. Hermione felt a shiver go down her spine at his touch, her heart beginning to race. There was so much more to Charlie than she could ever have imagined, hidden under layers and layers, like an onion, and all she wanted to do was unravel him and get to know him better.

Charlie looked around as they headed down the alley to ensure it was empty. He then held out his arm for Hermione to take.

"If you will, m'lady." Hermione grinned and took a hold of his upper arm, feeling the strong muscles tensing under her touch. Before she could even take another breath she was suddenly pulled through the tight tunnel of side-along apparition. A few seconds later she landed on her feet, stumbling slightly to the side. Charlie reached out and grabbed her to make sure she didn't fall. Only once he was sure she was steady did he let go.

"Welcome to the Romanian Dragon Reserve, more commonly known as the RDR," Charlie said turning around to face the entrance. Hermione's eyes opened wide; Charlie could feel the excitement radiating off of her. "Let's go." Charlie reached out and took her hand, leading her through the archway. Hermione could feel the magic pulsing around her as they walked through. Charlie led her down the path, pointing out the direction towards the tents the workers all lived in. It wasn't too long until they reached the main tent.

"So the canteen's over here. The medi-tent is that way and the on-call sleep rooms are just over there," Charlie explained but Hermione was no longer listening. She could feel the dragons. They were so near and it felt as though they were calling for her.

"Charlie. In all honesty, I don't really care. I just want to see –"

"The dragons," Charlie cut in with a laugh. "So predictable you are." Hermione blushed.

"Well, I reckon we'd better go this way then," he said as he lifted up a tent flap. Charlie steered Hermione through the open flap, whose eyes opened wide. They were standing a mere 5 metres away from a large, black dragon, their beady eyes staring right at the newcomers. Hermione heard Charlie's chuckle from her right but didn't register it. She was in awe of the magnificent beast right in front of her.

"Norwegian Ridgeback?" she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.

"Norberta," Charlie agreed.

"Hagrid's?"

"The same."

"Wow. She's magnificent," Hermione muttered.

"Yeah, she is. One of our tamer ones too, probably thanks to Hagrid raising her for a couple of weeks."

"She's very close, isn't she?" Hermione asked a few moments later after she had regained herself.

"It's our critical care enclosure so it's easier to keep an eye on her," Charlie explained as he led her past the dragon and down the path. Norberta didn't take her eyes off of them, her head turning to follow them, until they disappeared behind a clump of trees.

"What's wrong with her?"

"We're not entirely sure, some disease is affecting her nails – it's quite nasty actually," Charlie explained as they continued to follow the path.

"Hmm…you've tried primrose oil I assume?" Hermione suggested a little while later after a moment's thought.

"Yeah, we've literally tried everything, we're completely dumbfounded," Charlie said with a shrug. "But we've got her on a complicated potion that seems to be helping with the pain as she hasn't seemed to be overly bothered by them recently."

Charlie spent the next hour leading Hermione through the reserve, pointing out each of the dragons and telling her about them in depth. Hermione was in awe, not just at the gigantic scaly creatures flying around mere metres away but also from the love that was evident as he rambled on about his 'pets'.

"So, how long until I can persuade you to take that job of yours?" Charlie asked as the rounded the corner that brought them back in front of Norberta's enclosure.

"Not long I think," Hermione said with a grin. She had fallen in love with the reserve, with the dragons and with everyone they had met. Everyone had been so welcoming and friendly and Hermione's hands were itching at the thought of working there every day.

"Well, I'll speak to John this evening and find out when works with him," Charlie said with a grin. Hermione beamed. Little did she know it would be less than 48 hours until she was back on the reserve as a trainee tamer.

[-||-]

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" Draco shouted at a teary Hermione as they stood opposite each other in their living room, just the sofa in between them.

"I…I…Draco please don't be mad," Hermione pleaded.

"But you can't just do this, Granger," he growled. Hermione flinched, he hadn't used her surname with that tone in a very long time.

"I can. It's my life, I get to chose what I want to do. I've wanted to do this since school, Draco," Hermione said, her voice softening.

"Last time I checked, I'm a pretty prevalent person in your life right now so normally you run these ideas through me first," Draco said sternly. Hermione frowned at her companion.

"What makes you think I have to run my future plans through you?" she asked completely stunned.

"I…I…look, Hermione, I really do like you, a lot, and I don't want to lose you. If you disappear off I'm going to be inclined to go back home, and I just can't do that. I'm not ready to face everyone back in England, and I'm certainly not ready to be leaving you and your company," Draco said, almost sadly.

"You're not losing me Draco. I'm working four days a week and will still be staying here for the next two months until I up my hours to five days when I'll move to the reserve. Don't worry, you've still got a bit more of me," she added with a smirk, completely ignoring the part where he said a certain l-word.

"But it's dangerous. You'll be back around wizards and they might find out," Draco pleaded, drawing on every last straw to persuade her against her new job.

"I'm ready for the risk though. As much as I've loved the time with you and in the bookstore I'm ready for adventure again and I'm ready to get back into the wizarding world. It was going to happen sooner or later and it just happened that it's sooner than either of us thought," Hermione said with a shrug, avoiding making eye contact with the blonde wizard.

"But is it really a good idea? You being out in the wizarding world?"

"Draco, if I remember rightly, you've been spending a fair amount of time since we met in the woods persuading me to stop hiding and now you're saying to carry on hiding? I don't get it," Hermione groaned inwardly.

"But you're taking a very large step and I care for you, I don't want it to push you back so much further. You've come along leaps and bounds since that first day, I would hate for it to all go to fail."

"But it's my life, I know what I want to do and when I'm ready to do it."

"That's not the point though, Hermione."

"Well, what in Merlin's name is the point then Draco?" Hermione asked her voice getting louder as she began to lose her patience with him. Draco didn't answer for a while, he just locked eye contact with her. Without saying a word he walked around the sofa until he was standing just in front of her. He took her face in both of his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione reacted almost instantaneously this time, however, wrenching her face out of his grip and staring at him.

"Draco stop it. You're like a brother to me –" but Draco interrupted.

"It's that Weasley man isn't it?" he spat, his voice thick with jealousy.

"What?" Hermione asked shocked at the comment.

"Don't play the fool, Hermione. I've seen you meeting him very regularly recently. You obviously like him and getting rather close to him," he said through gritted teeth.

"What on earth are you talking about Malfoy?"

"Save your breath, Granger." Draco flicked his wand and suddenly there was an onslaught of his possessions from around the house into a bag by his feet.

"Just remember who it was that rescued you from the woods and helped you see a new lease of life," he said. And just like that he picked up the bag and with one last look that was full of emotion he disappeared with a loud pop that seemed to reverberate through the air. Hermione stood there at a complete loss at what just happened, trying to register the sudden absence in her companion. Once she realised that he had left her she crumpled to the floor, heavy sobs shaking through her body. Draco was right, he really had helped her through her darkest days in the past months. But he was so wrong to assume she was disappearing from him and leaving him. She had simply accepted a new, yes perhaps much more dangerous, job. But she was going to be truly leaving their flat for another couple of months. And then to bring Charlie into it all was just plain wrong. There was nothing to their friendship, at least she didn't think there was.

[-||-]

Charlie had just got out of the shower and pulled on a pair of old pyjamas, ready for some pre-bed reading before turning in early in preparation for Hermione's first day, when he heard a loud knock at his door. He hurriedly pulled on an old Quidditch t-shirt before opening the door, surprised to see the bushy haired witch standing in front of him, her eyes red and puffy.

"Hermione?"

"Can I come in?" she asked thickly. Charlie nodded and pulled open the door wider to let the witch in. He watched as she just stood for a while, sniffling as she stared into his small house.

"Hermione? What's the matter?" he asked, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

"He…he…left" she sniffed. Charlie frowned at her.

"Draco, he just upped and left. I told him about the tamer training and he basically just lost his shit," she said almost inaudibly. Charlie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, not saying anything but just holding her as she cried.

Once Hermione has stopped, she stepped out of his arms and looked up at him.

"Sorry, I just…need some company," she said, a small smile twitching at her lips.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Charlie asked, leading her to the sofa.

"I…I just don't get why he left. He wouldn't even let us have a civil conversation about it all," Hermione then relayed the conversation she and her friend had exchanged a few hours previously. "It hurts, him leaving. He helped me through those first months, even if he didn't know exactly what was going on he was always there. He made me see sense and realise it's not the end of the world. I see him like a brother, a confidant, just everything I needed and now I feel guilty about everything. He just disapparated, he doesn't know how much he means to me and how much he helped me, and I miss him," Hermione rambled on.

"He'll come round. He's not an idiot. From what you've said recently, he needed you as much as you needed him. Just you wait and see, he'll apologise and be back," Charlie consoled, squeezing her hand.

"I don't think so, though, Charlie. He seemed to think something was happening between us. He obviously thinks he's not needed. But I need him, Charlie. He keeps me sane and puts everything into perspective," Hermione said, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. Charlie's heart hitched at her comments, but he didn't say anything – no need to assume anything yet.

"It sounds like there was some major mis-communication, Hermione. You need to send him an owl and just say everything you've just told me. He'll see the right soon enough." Hermione sighed, she had been through far too many emotions for one day.

"Go home, have a shower and go to bed. Get a good night's sleep and I'll see you bright and early for some training," Charlie said. That one sentence seemed to shake Hermione from her apparent reverie.

"Crap. Yes of course, tomorrow's Monday. Right, OK, I'll be off. I'm really sorry Charlie for disturbing you. See you tomorrow," Hermione blurted in a hurry as she jumped to her feet and practically ran out of the door. Charlie barely registered what had happened as he heard the door bang shut. It was apparent, this witch was confusing him more and more every time they met. There was something so fascinating about her, and yet terrifying and amazing. He felt like a completely different man whenever he was in her company, and it was certainly in a good way.

[-||-]

Draco sat in his hotel room staring as the small blob in the sky got larger and more distinctive. He let out a sigh at the familiar shape. It was the fourth owl she had sent in less than a week apologising and begging for him to return. He opened the latch at let the owl enter. He read through the letter and rested his head into his hands, letting out a sigh. As he finished scanning it, he crumpled the parchment and threw it into the bin.

He was frustrated, annoyed, pissed off and every emotion in between. But he was also angry at himself. She had done nothing wrong and he had completely overreacted, not letting her explain anything, or just having a reasonable conversation about it all. And now he was just making it worse. He was doing everything he told her not to do.

There was a tentative knock on the door to his hotel room.

"Enter," he called. As he turned around in his chair he almost let out a shout of surprise to see his childhood best friend standing right in front of him.

"I thought I'd find you here at some point," Blaise Zabini said as he walked over and sat down on the large double bed.

"What? Where? Why? How?" Draco stammered at a lost for words.

"Draco, you went missing for weeks. You really didn't think I'd get the top hotels across the continent to let me know if you ever checked in," Blaise drawled, a twinkle set in his dark eyes.

"You…you twat," Draco finally spat out. Blaise look aghast.

"Me? A twat? Mate, I wasn't the one who deserted their mother to…do…what exactly have you been doing?" Blaise said, looking over at his friend for 18 years.

"I…let's order room service, this is a long story," Draco sighed.

Ten minutes later, with plates of sandwiches in front of them, Draco settled next to his friend and told him his story, right from the moment he disapparated to London to the witch he met in the woods to them moving to Romania to even him falling in love with her, he made sure he left out the werewolf part.

"So that's where the famous Granger went then," Blaise said as Draco finished over a half hour later.

"Please don't go telling anyone, Zabini. She's become a proper friend and I care about her. She has her reasons, please don't go spurting it out you know where she is," Draco said harshly. Blaise raised his hands in defeat.

"Any friend of yours, is a friend of mine. Although it may take a little longer to warm towards…her," Blaise responded. "So it sounds like you really buggered it though."

"Tell me about it. I don't know how I can rectify this. I've been a dick and done everything I've told her not to do. how can she ever forgive me?" Draco groaned, leaning back in the large, soft pillows.

"You go back to Romania and beg at her feet to accept your apology and to take you back," Blaise said, stuffing another sandwich into his large mouth.

"But she doesn't like me, Zabini. She's obviously found something with that Weasley git. What am I to her? I've served my purpose, she has no need for me."

"By the sounds of it you saved her, and I reckon she knows it. You're going to have to do a lot more to get our of her life. This is Hermione Granger we're talking about. She's the most forgiving, thoughtful woman out there. She will get over it, and so you have to get over it. She may not like you like that but that doesn't mean you no longer mean something to her. She'll need you, she'll need you so much more than either of you realise," Blaise explained. Draco looked over at his friend, shocked to hear such sense coming out of his mouth. He narrowed his eyes at the look on Blaise's face.

"What do you know?" he asked suspiciously.

"I overheard her and that Lupin man arguing before she disapparated," Blaise replied sheepishly.

"So you know."

"That she's a werewolf? Yeah, I do."

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to follow/favourite/review!)**


	20. Chapter 20

**I am so so sorry it has been forever, life has just been manic and I've had no time to myself for months let alone time to actually write anything but finally here we go. I hope you enjoy it and that you haven't forgotten what's happened (I had to re-read the whole thing to make sure I didn't backtrack on anything!). Let me know your thoughts, fingers crossed it won't be as long until the next update but apologies in advance if it is!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 20**

"Have a good weekend off, relax and I'll see you Monday morning again," Charlie said as he and Hermione left the pub late on Thursday evening. She had just finished her first four days at the reserve and had blossomed. He had never seen someone become such a natural so quickly. He was excited to see where the job took her. It wasn't going to be long until she would be a full-time employee, and he wouldn't be surprised if she became the first female head tamer in a matter of years.

"Thank you so much for everything, Charlie. It was truly amazing. Better than anything I could have expected," Hermione gushed, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"You are most welcome. It's not often I get to teach such a natural," he added with a wink that made a blush spread up Hermione's cheeks.

"Have a good weekend, Charlie," she said before turning on her heel and heading back to her deserted flat. Charlie watched the witch walk away, a look of admiration on his face.

"She's quite a bit younger than you mate," a deep voice came from behind him. Charlie turned to see one of his colleagues watching him from a few feet away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Charlie said, but he knew the tips of his ears were turning a dark read, a trademark Weasley indication he was feeling embarrassed.

"'Course you do," Jake said with a smirk. "Just be sensible, Char. You don't want to scare the wee lass off too quickly. She's got to be the best tamer I ever saw after 4 days."

"Oh, sod off, Jake," Charlie said. He turned around and headed back into the pub, ignoring the laugh his friend gave off.

As Hermione wandered down the street back to her flat he thoughts wandered over the past week. It has truly been a dream come true. It was better than what she was expecting, and she was already itching to get back there on Monday and be with the dragons. She had no regrets about any decisions she had made. She was just thinking about earlier that day when she had helped Charlie coax a young dragon into its new enclosure when she noticed something very odd. The lights in her living room were on, and she definitely hadn't left them on earlier that evening. She broke into a run and got to the front door in record time. She grasped her wand tightly under the jacket sleeve, just in case, and carefully pushed the door open. She didn't know what she was expected, but she definitely didn't think she would see him just lounging on the sofa. He looked over at the sound of the door opening and smiled at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a little more bitterly than she had intended.

"I came back," Draco replied.

"Yeah I noticed. Why?" Hermione asked shrugging off her jacket and hanging it up before making her way and standing above him.

"Because you asked me to," he replied. Hermione raised her eyebrows. "And I wanted to apologise for being a prick. And I may have missed you." His voice got quieter with each sentence.

"Right," Hermione said.

"Look, Hermione. I am so sorry about my outburst. I had no right at all. You were just doing what you wanted and what was best for you and I was just being selfish twat and reacted really quite badly. I didn't mean to upset you at all, and I certainly didn't mean to leave. I am genuinely so happy for you and that you're beginning to feel like you can fit in again. I guess I was just surprised," Draco said, standing up and taking her hands in his, looking straight into her eyes.

"It's OK, Draco. I definitely didn't say some very nice things either. You're forgiven. But I do have one question for you. Where have you been?" Draco let out a laugh as he sat back down and signalled for Hermione to sit down next to him.

"I just went to a hotel in the outskirts of Paris. Nothing flashy." Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "OK nothing flashy on my level, but it may have been a 5-star one." Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less." They sat in silence for a while, neither of them realising quite how much they had missed each other.

"There's something else I need to tell you," Draco finally said, sitting up a little straighter and facing Hermione full on. She frowned at the seriousness of the expression etched on his face.

"I bumped into…well that's not really it…he found me," Draco stuttered.

"Who found you?" Hermione asked concerned at what he was about to say.

"Blaise."

"Zabini?"

"Just the one."

"Why does you face make it seem like you told him something?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"I couldn't lie to my best friend, Hermione. I had to tell him the truth. And it meant that everything made sense to him, why I had left you and everything," Draco explained, not breaking eye contact with the witch.

"Does…does he know?" Hermione hiccupped. Draco gulped.

"WHAT THE HELL? Draco, I thought you were meant to be my friend. You can't go betraying me and telling everyone you see about me. I trusted you," Hermione exploded jumping to her feet.

"Hermione, no. You've got it wrong. I didn't tell him."

"Oh you didn't did you?" she snarled at him.

"No, I didn't. I would never tell anyone anything you didn't want me to. No, he overhead you and Lupin before you disapparated.

"Really?"

"Really. Hermione, I would never ever say anything about you. You should know me better than that," Draco said, standing up and wrapping his arms around her.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered into his chest as they stood there, seeking comfort in each other. They remained like that for a little while before breaking apart.

"Anyway. Enough about that. Tell me about how this week went. Was it amazing?" Draco asked, sitting back down. Hermione's face immediately lit up and Draco knew then that she truly had made the right decision to start one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Trust Hermione to not shy away from danger.

"It was incredible," Hermione said sitting back down and promptly relaying everything that happened the past week, not missing out anything.

[-||-]

Two weeks later, Hermione was just on her way from the cafeteria for her afternoon coffee when she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and was surprised to find her so close to Charlie.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"How was your day? Sorry I couldn't be with you today, I was up all night with Zuri and obviously you're not allowed to work any more than 16 hours in a row," Charlie explained.

"No, I completely understand. What can I do for you now?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you would be up for grabbing some dinner tonight. There's something I need to talk to you about," Charlie said, shoving his hands into her trouser pockets and generally avoiding eye contact.

"Um…yeah of course. What is it?" she asked confused by this reaction of his.

"Oh nothing serious. Great, how does that Italian sound? About 7?" he asked, looking her in the eyes again.

"Sounds great, will see you later." They shared a brief smile before Hermione turned around and headed back to the reserve's potion lab.

"Bloody hell, I could cut the tension between you guys with a knife. What's happening with you two?" a voice came from behind Charlie.

"What? Oh nothing at all," Charlie muttered.

"Really? Not sure I would agree with you there Charlie mate," Jake responded, his eyebrows dangerously high up his forehead.

"Jake, sod off." Charlie turned around and walked away, his mind working at a hundred miles an hour.

3 hours later found Charlie and Hermione in the small Italian restaurant in Enisala, under some privacy charms Hermione cast so they could talk in ease.

"Is everything OK Charlie? You seem a bit off lately," Hermione asked once the food had been ordered.

"What? Yeah I'm all good, there are just a couple of things I needed to talk to you about that's all," he said with a smile, that didn't quite reassure Hermione. She smiled back at him and indicated for him to start.

"OK, so first up, obviously the full moon is next week. I've requested you get Wednesday and Thursday off so you can recover. No don't try and argue, Hermione. It's a no go. When you're doing something like this I am not going to let you be working around dragons when you're exhausted. That's just not going to happen. Something awful could happen so for the next few months you're having at least the two days after the full moon. End of story," Charlie said sternly.

"Do you take two days off then?" Hermione asked, a bit put out by the comment but at the same time very appreciate that Charlie cared about her that much. Something went off in her stomach and thoughts started whirling around her brain.

"That's irrelevant," Charlie shrugged it off.

"No. It's not. It's too dangerous for you to be around them. I saw your medical records the other day when I was helping Olivier and saw that your chance of getting injured increases significantly in the days after a full moon. You've got to look after yourself as well, Charlie. And I know what you're about to say, you've been working with dragons for years you know how to look after yourself. But if you're going to be so strict on me I'm going to be strict for you. At least take Wednesday off," Hermione said, her face set. Charlie opened his mouth to argue but couldn't even think of a suitable argument, so he closed it. He gulped but finally nodded his head in agreement. She was right, as per usual. It was always so silly of him to work the day after the full moon but he never wanted to raise suspicion.

"Great, well glad that one's sorted. And if you want, you could come over to mine. I'm sure Draco could look after you as well, he does do a very good job," Hermione said with a smile. Charlie frowned.

"Have you told Draco about me?" he asked, his stomach dropping at the thought of Hermione confiding his secret in a Slytherin

"No, I haven't said anything. But he's going to find out at some point isn't he, so no harm in him knowing now," Hermione shrugged. Charlie surveyed the witch sitting opposite him. Her relationship with that Malfoy boy baffled him beyond belief. She talked about him as if he was her lover or something, but she always insisted her was a friend.

"What's going on between you two?" he suddenly blurted out.

"What?"

"Like are you in a relationship or something?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock and then she completely surprised Charlie by bursting out into laughter.

"Oh god no absolutely nothing. He's like another brother to me. He's kissed me a few times, but it's always felt so wrong," she said once she controlled her laughter. Something exploded inside of Charlie when he heard they had shared a kiss. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Charlie responded, almost a little tartly, surveying her for a while longer. They sat there in silence for a while, an odd sort of atmosphere filling between them. Fortunately, before it all got too awkward, the waiter arrived with their food and so they both started to eat without saying anything for a while.

"What was else did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione finally asked as she reached the end of her meal. She noticed Charlie hesitate for a few moments, slowly making his way through his mouthful and finally swallowing.

"I…um…I'm going back to The Burrow in a couple of weeks for an early birthday celebration for Bill. And I thought you could come with me," Charlie said rather quietly and to the table rather and avoiding eye contact with Hermione. Hermione didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. It was the last thing she had been expecting. And truth be told she most certainly was not ready to face the Weasleys quite yet.

"I don't think I can, Charlie. I'm just no ready for it," she finally sighed.

"Think about it. You don't need to make a decision yet. It would be big step forward in helping you. And if you joined me, I would be inclined to potentially start opening up to them," he added as an afterthought. Hermione looked into his deep blue eyes and considered it. Her heart let out a flutter when he mentioned he would potentially talk to them. He owed them that much and she would be so proud of him. She cared for him and didn't want him to feel he couldn't talk to his own family. It wasn't fair to them, and it wasn't fair to him either only having Hermione to talk to, and even then she didn't feel he properly spoke with her.

"OK. I'll think about it. But don't get your hopes up," she finally admitted. Charlie beamed at her. He could tell something was up with her though so reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"Everything's going to be fine, I promise," he muttered quietly, his eyes portraying all the emotion that made Hermione's stomach lurch with her own emotions she wasn't used to. She smiled at him, a stray tear leaking from her eyes.

"Yeah, it will be." And it was the first time she actually meant it when she said it. "But Charlie, you shouldn't depend on me being there when you tell your family. If you're thinking about it, it's best to just bite the bullet. Maybe even just speaking to Bill or Lupin or someone and slowly get it out. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, I know, and I genuinely am beginning to think about opening up, I guess I just don't know how. And I don't think a birthday meal is going to be the right time for it," he added with a slight laugh.

"It's never going to be the right time. You and I both know that. If there ever was it would be a thousand times easier. But there isn't. There's just a time," Hermione said with a sad smile.

"You always say the right thing, Hermione," Charlie said, finally letting go of her hand and sitting back in his chair. They sat in a peaceful silence whilst the waiter cleared their plates. Charlie was just on his way to order some dessert when Hermione stopped him.

"I made a pretty mean apple pie yesterday and we've still got some left over if you fancy that instead," she said remembering his favourite pudding was sat in her fridge. Charlie's eyes lit up brightly and it was less than five minutes until they were outside Hermione's flat eager for homemade pudding.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. This is fantastic, almost better than mum's," Charlie exclaimed ten minutes later as he shovelled spoonful after spoonful into his mouth.

"You know, you'd probably enjoy it more if you ate it a bit slower," Hermione laughed watching her companion next to her as she flicked on the TV. Charlie pouted but slowed down, much to Hermione's relief as his way of eating made her feel a bit sick and reminded her of Ron and his lack of manners when eating.

"What are we watching then?" Charlie asked thickly through a mouthful of pie.

"Not sure, there's nothing good on. Hmmm…looks like we'll have to watch a cooking show," she said finally settling on a programme. She put the remote on the coffee table and tucked her legs under herself whilst Charlie finished his pudding.

She didn't know when or how it happened, but it wasn't long until Hermione found herself leaning against Charlie as they watched the abysmal celebrities attempt to cook. Her head rested against his chest as he ran his hand through her thick curls. They were both very content, laughing and chatting through the show, neither inclined to move, and before they knew it, they were on to their third episode of the cooking show.

"Where's Malfoy tonight?" Charlie asked when he realised that they hadn't been interrupted by Hermione's housemate.

"He had to work late tonight to finish a potion at work. But I would have thought he'd be back by now," Hermione muttered, casting an eye towards the clock on the mantlepiece.

Charlie wasn't in the least bit bothered that he wasn't back. It meant that he was getting more alone time with Hermione, which he would never say no to. Every time he spent time with her, she intrigued him even more and all he wanted to do was get to know her more. He felt so content and so comfortable just lying there watching TV, talking about random things. He loved it when he said something to make her laugh, the most delightful sound filling the room, her eyes glistening with mirth. He knew he was treading on very thin ice, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from developing feelings quite a bit stronger than friendship with the witch that was currently wrapped in his arms.

Charlie was brought abruptly out of his thoughts when the door burst open with a bang. He and Hermione jumped apart, but shocked at the sudden loud sound and also perhaps a little embarrassed to have been in such a compromising position.

"Draco! You're back, how was your day?" Hermione asked, a smile spreading across her face. Charlie's stomach lurched at the look she gave the pureblood. He didn't like it. She may have told him nothing was going on between the two of them, but he couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought of all the time they spent together.

"Rubbish. A bloody customer interrupted me at the most crucial point even though I had a sign on the door to tell them not to interrupt and so –" but Draco stopped abruptly. He had just noticed a certain Weasley sat on the sofa, not a few centimetres away from his housemate. His silver eyes narrowed at Charlie, who didn't exactly smile at the Slytherin.

"Weasley," he nodded curtly heading into the kitchen.

"Malfoy," Charlie responded with as much animosity in his voice.

"So what happened, Draco?" Hermione called into the kitchen.

"The potion got ruined so I had to redo it all again," Draco shouted back.

"Oh you poor thing. That's so rough, it's annoying when people can't read simple instructions," Hermione said collapsing against the back of the sofa. Charlie noticed that it wasn't back to the position they had just been in.

"I had better go, Hermione. Thank you so much for the pie and I'll see you on Monday bright and early. Have a good weekend and rest up," Charlie said getting to his feet. Much to his surprise however Hermione also got to her feet.

"Thanks, Charlie. And don't forget what I said earlier, it's never going to be the right time," she said with a sad smile. She then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug, surprising Charlie so much that he didn't react for a few moments. They stood there for a few moments, holding each other in a hug, more emotions being exchanged between them than there had been.

Hermione pulled away and looked up into Charlie's eyes and felt something set off inside her. Something she was no familiar with, something that excited her yet terrified her. Something that she just wouldn't be able to explain.

"See you Monday, Charlie," she said quietly before standing on tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. She then walked into the kitchen, leaving Charlie standing there by himself in shock. He would never have placed Hermione as someone to willingly give him a kiss, albeit on the cheek, but a kiss nonetheless. Smiling, he let himself out of their flat and made his way to a deserted alley, a slight spring in his step. For the first time in five years, his life was looking to make a turn, and a major turn in the right direction.

 **(A/N: thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it - let me know your thoughts in a review! Have a merry christmas!)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A new update, sorry it's been a while, I have the next chapters all planned and everything I'm just struggling to get it all written down, but finally got it done! Hope you enjoy it - one of my favourites so far! Let me know your thoughts please!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 21**

Before Hermione knew it it was Tuesday afternoon and she was just about to head home from work when she bumped into just the person she was hoping she would meet. She felt a hand grab a hold of her upper arm and pulled her off the path and into the shadows of the trees.

"Really, Charlie? Are we not able to talk on the path?" Hermione admonished, her eyebrows raised as she looked up in his blue eyes.

"I don't want anyone to hear us," he admitted, scuffing his feet in the mud.

"No but we look way less suspicious hidden here," Hermione said rolling her eyes. Charlie ignored her.

"Tonight. Or more like tomorrow morning. I…I think I'd…I mean…if it's not a problem…it would be nice…" Charlie mumbled.

"Oh spit it out will you," Hermione grumbled, one more thing she had noticed with each full moon, her patience wore very thin in the days surrounding the full moon.

"Isitokifistayedwithyouaftertonight," Charlie said so quickly that Hermione took a few seconds to translate his request into understandable English. When she did, she beamed.

"Of course. I'm sure Draco won't mind," her face faltered. "Does that mean you're going to tell him?" Charlie gulped.

"He's going to find out at some point, isn't he?" Charlie asked but it wasn't a question for Hermione to answer. Hermione reached out and touched his arm.

"It's OK, don't stress. He already lives with a werewolf, knowing another isn't going to bother him," she said kindly. "Do you want to come around for some dinner before and leave some things? Then it also won't be as big a surprise for him when you're there in the morning?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks, Hermione. I'll…er…be round in an hour or so?"

"Sounds good, see you in a bit, Charlie," Hermione said with a warm smile before turning around and heading towards the apparition point.

[-||-]

"Really, Hermione? Tonight, of all the nights? Sometimes I really whether you have a common-sense part to your brain," Draco sighed as he lay across the sofa. Hermione rolled her eyes. She wanted to just tell him but that would be betraying Charlie's trust, he had to be the one to tell Draco, if only to actually put the words out there. She turned around and stalked into the kitchen ready to start making an early dinner for her and her guest.

"Are you actually going to want any food?" she called through to the living room.

"Nah, I had a large lunch, I'll eat later if I need," Draco's voice wafted back. So, Hermione made her way to make just two portions of spaghetti bolognese. She was starting to get all nervous and jittery. She knew what to expect from tonight, but she knew it was going to be weird being with Charlie the entire time. What was the transformation going to be like if he was there? How was her wolf going to react? Yeah, she'd taken all her wolfsbane but at the end of the day she was still a werewolf and she hadn't quite mastered being able to completely block out all wolfish attitudes and thoughts and on occasion she had found herself acting exactly like a werewolf, not a human looking like a wolf.

Forty minutes later there was a gentle knock on the front door and Hermione hurried to open it.

"Hi," she said with a beam stepping aside for Charlie to enter.

"Weasley," Draco nodded from the sofa, casting his eyes to the door only momentarily.

"Malfoy," Charlie responded.

"Food's almost done, do you mind laying the table while I serve it up?" The meal passed in relative silence, but it was almost awkward. Hermione was jumpy and anxious, her leg bouncing up and down throughout the entire meal and Charlie's stomach was in bits. Safe to say they were very much looking forward to the night being over. They cleaned up together and it was as Hermione was packing a bag that Charlie finally turned to her flatmate.

"How are you doing Malfoy?" Charlie asked. Draco frowned at the red-head.

"Why?"

"What, am I not allowed to ask a question?" Charlie questioned.

"Why Hermione?" Draco repeated. Charlie's eyes widened. What on earth was this boy about?

"I don't…what are you talking about?" Draco sighed and flipped his legs round so he was sitting on the sofa rather than being sprawled across it.

"Why are your intentions with Hermione?" Draco asked slowly enunciating each word.

"What are my intentions? What are you on about Malfoy?" Charlie said.

"I mean, what do you want with her?"

"I…we're friends if that's what you want to know," Charlie almost stammered. Malfoy raised his eyebrow. "And why do you have to ask me such questions?"

"Hermione's my best friend. She's been through a hell of a lot since June. No, since before then. You don't know half her story. You don't know her as well as I do. I care about her a lot, I don't want to see her get hurt," Draco growled.

"I would never hurt Hermione. And I know her, just as well as you do. I know a lot more than you think I do," Charlie said. This struck Draco as odd, what on earth had the Weasley meant?

"I…uh…what?" It was the first time Charlie had ever seen Draco Malfoy lost for words.

"Yes, I know about her. I know what happened. And in case you had any interest, I am also a werewolf. I think I know how to take care of her better than you thank you very much," Charlie said with a fierce animosity laced in his voice. Draco couldn't believe it. The Weasley, a werewolf.

"So, you're the werewolf she saw a while ago?" Charlie nodded.

"Wow. I…sorry," Draco murmured. Charlie's ears pricked.

"Was that an apology I just heard from a Malfoy?" Charlie smirked. A silence fell between the two men, but it wasn't an awkward uncomfortable one that was the norm, it was almost…peaceful. It didn't last long, however as Hermione burst from her room and into the living room. She eyed the two men suspiciously.

"What happened here?" she asked tentatively.

"Just a good ol' chat between two men," Charlie replied. "You good? Shall we head?" Hermione smiled, he had finally broken out and told someone about him. She felt her heart bursting with pride.

"Yeah, let's go. See you in the morning, Draco," she called unlocking the door and heading out of the flat.

"Weasley," Draco's voice came from behind just before Charlie left. Charlie turned around.

"Just…look after her," Draco said, with an almost sad smile. Charlie nodded before locking the door behind him and following Hermione out of the building.

About half an hour later, two wolves both let out howls into the night.

 _"So, what's the plan?"_ wolf-Hermione asked.

 _"Wanna race?"_ Hermione had barely even twigged what Charlie had just said before the grey wolf had darted off through the thicket of trees. She rolled her eyes before galloping off after him, the wind whipping through her brown fur and stinging her eyes. Just like every other full moon she felt more alive than at any other point during the months. The feelings of freedom and of joy coursing through her, it just never failed to amaze her what it felt like. When she had first been bitten, she figured she would dread the full moon nights, and although she didn't enjoy the days before and after she night was just exhilarating. And this night was no different. There were all the usual excited emotions tonight, but something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger one, something she didn't quite understand but she didn't care. She was free and she was with another wolf, a friend of hers. Something she never thought she'd be able to say.

Wolf Hermione chased off after Charlie, not caring about the branches that cut through her skin. It wasn't long until they burst out into the moon lit fields and slowed down to a slow walk, both wolves panting hard. Once they had caught their breath, wolf-Charlie stopped and lay down on the damp grass, looking at the patch next to him as if to tell Hermione to join him. So she curled up next to him, resting her head on her paws and looking intently into his eyes.

 _"What exactly do you know about pack-mates?"_ Charlie finally asked. Hermione's ears pricked, and her heart began to beat a bit faster.

 _"Not much other than the basics,"_ she thought back honestly. The grey wolf nodded. Hermione struggled to hold in a laugh; it was an odd sight, a nodding werewolf.

 _"Do you know how you identify if another wolf is your pack-mate?"_ Hermione looked at him confused.

 _"Something makes me think it's more than just 'knowing'."_

 _"You do know. Oftentimes you just know but there is a way to confirm it .Werewolves don't have any control over whose their pack-mates. Some have as few as 2 or 3, other may have 50. There's no known reason. But it's believed that they mean something to either the human or the werewolf form."_ Hermione sat there, her full attention on Charlie. She was fascinated. And she had a feeling Charlie was going to tell her something that she needed to know. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest; she wouldn't be surprised if Charlie could hear it, especially with the wolf's crazy hearing ability. If he could, he didn't make it seem it. He just continued.

 _"One time, I was in an unfamiliar area and managed to get myself caught in a rabbit snare. A while later another wolf freed me and know I'm almost 100% certain he's a part of my pack just from something as simple as that. And then there's obviously Bill, which would make sense because he's my brother and a semi-werewolf, and there are a couple of others as well,"_ Charlie seemed to hesitate for a while.

 _"Can a human be in your pack?"_ Hermione finally asked. She had read about pack-mates and that you would feel an overbearing feeling of protection for them. Something she realised recently she had for two prominent men in her lives.

 _"Yes, they can be. But it's not common, in fact it's very rare. They must have a much stronger connection to you in their human form. Something much deeper down and –"_ but Charlie suddenly stopped. Hermione looked up and saw his eyes narrow, and almost the beginnings of a growl form – his teeth were bared and his shackles raised. Hermione shuffled back a bit, wanting to get away from the new Charlie.

 _"Is Draco Malfoy in your pack?"_ Charlie finally asked, his voice laced with anger. Hermione was so taken aback by the question, and the reaction that had been brought about by Charlie that she didn't answer.

 _"IS HE?"_ Charlie practically shouted. Hermione started to cower.

 _"I…I don't know…maybe?"_ she stuttered. _"But why would that affect you?"_ Charlie seemed to relax a little but didn't speak right away.

 _"There's this theory, that one of the male wolves in a female werewolf's pack will be an alpha male, which can cause problems for any other male members of her pack. It's believed that the alpha male will…they'll…um…fight off any other males…to…to make sure they…um…that the female…that she…becomes his wife."_ Charlie's voice got very quiet as he stuttered through the explanation. _"So, say both me and him were to be in your pack…well, there could be issues. But we won't know that for sure until we know who's in your pack. And it may well be different because he's a human."_ Hermione lay there stunned. She had not been expecting that. Neither of them thought anything for a long while, at least not telepathically. Hermione hoped that Charlie cut off the connection to give her some space to think over what he had just said.

 _"Hermione, I…you're in my pack…and something makes me think I might end up being in your pack too,"_ Charlie finally said to break the uneasy silence

 _"How do you know for certain I'm in your pack though?"_ Hermione questioned quietly.

 _"I don't yet, can I have a look at your left foot?"_ Hermione hesitated but agreed. The grey wolf stood up as Hermione turned her front foot over so the pad was facing upwards. The wolf bent over and looked intently for a few moments before sitting back on its haunches.

 _"Yup, it's official,"_ he smiled at her. The brown wolf must have looked confused because Charlie continued quickly. _"Each wolf has an associated symbol I guess you could say, that forms on their right hand as a human and right foot as a wolf from about 6 months. It's normally very faint so it can barely be seen, and no one seems to know what the symbol means or why each wolf has their own one. But then their symbol will also be seen on the left foot of any pack-mates. My symbol is an acorn, and if you look very carefully just below your second toe you'll see you have an acorn, almost tattoo."_ Hermione did as he said and stared at her foot. It took her a long while to spot what he was saying but finally noticed it. It was small, about the size of a knut and wouldn't be visible unless you were really looking for it. And then she noticed the other one next to it: a crescent moon.

 _"There's another one!"_ she exclaimed. _"So that must mean I'm someone else's pack-mate. It must be Remus, he mentioned something when I saw him back in June about me being in his pack. But he also mentioned something about ceasing the connection and the bond not forming,"_ she added, confused.

 _"Interesting, so from what I'm aware that can happen. But really it doesn't mean anything. You're still be in their pack, but I guess your relationship won't be as strong. I'm not sure though."_ Hermione then turned over her right paw and examined it carefully.

 _"I don't have my one yet,"_ she said, almost sadly.

 _"No, I suspect it will come in the next month or so,"_ Charlie said.

 _"So, when I get it. Whoever is in my pack will also get it? But say Draco is in my pack, does that mean he will get the tattoo on his left hand,"_ Hermione asked.

 _"I don't know. From what I'm aware we only show the symbols in our wolf form, so I would suspect not but as they never change maybe they do. Or maybe they just see it on the full moon,"_ Charlie pondered.

 _"You said Bill was in your pack, how do you know? Surely you haven't had a conversation with him about it?"_

 _"No, I haven't. But I just know. Like, you'll just know. It's weird."_ The two wolves lay there, doused in moonlight for the remaining hours of darkness. Hermione must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew a nose was nuzzling her neck.

 _"Hermione, it's almost light. We'll want to get back to the clearing before transformation."_ Hermione jumped up and started to run after Charlie. She could see the sky lightening quickly now. They really didn't have long to get to their bags or else they'd be in for a very long, very awkward naked walk back to them.

Fortunately, they just made it back in time before the agonising transformation. Hermione made sure she was hidden behind a large tree to keep some of her dignity as she transformed. She quickly pulled on leggings and hoodie before reappearing into the clearing. Charlie was pulling on a t-shirt as she appeared, giving her a fine view of his muscular, tanned back. Even in the middle of November, the remnants of his summer tan was still evident and made the view all the more glorious. The muscles glistened somewhat with a slight sheen of sweat and she could see the outlines of them all as he tugged the t-shirt down, unfortunately hiding the view from her. He turned around and grinned at her as he tucked on a jacket. Hermione must have had a look of awe on her face as he smirked.

"Liked what you saw, eh?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored him as she started to walk back towards the town. She could hear his snigger behind her before he caught up and match stride to stride with her.

[-||-]

Hermione rolled over in her thick duvet and let out a sigh as her eyes fluttered open. She had slept through most of the day and judging by the dull glow from under her curtains it was nearing nightfall. She lay there for a while, content in her bed, wrapped up to her chin. She was just about to fall asleep again when the door creaked open and she looked over.

"Ah, you're up. Good, you should probably stay awake for the next hours so you actually sleep tonight," Charlie said walking over and sitting on the end of her bed. Hermione shuffled around and sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"You been here all day?" she asked through a yawn.

"Yeah, Draco let me sleep in his bed when he left for work. I've been up for an hour or so but promised I wouldn't leave you asleep until he was back." Hermione nodded.

"He's back then?"

"Yeah, just five minutes ago or so, figured I'd come say bye before I left." The duo sat there for a while before Hermione kicked off her burgundy duvet and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Thanks for last night, Charlie. I enjoyed it, and it was good to –" but she suddenly stopped talking. Charlie looked over and saw her staring at her right hand.

"I…I have it," she whispered. Charlie jumped up and hurried around the bed to her side and took her hand in his.

"A flame, interesting," he muttered, tracing his finger over the tattoo that spread down her palm. His touch sent a shiver through Hermione.

"Sorry," he mumbled letting go of her hand and looking at her. They locked eyes and in that moment a flame was lit inside both of them. And they knew. They knew they had something special, something bigger than co-workers, or friends. Charlie slowly reached out and traced her cheek with his thumb, before lifting her chin up ever so slightly. He leant down and pressed his lips against hers. The flame seemed to turn into a fire and they both began to act instinctively. Hermione reached up and wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck. Charlie wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, the other hand reaching up and tangling itself in her bushy hair. Hermione gasped at the contact, and Charlie used the opportunity to push his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss even more, all the emotions pouring out. They remained like that, their mouths locked for a while until they finally broke apart, gasping for air. Charlie lent his forehead against hers, his blue eyes looking deep into her brown ones as they caught their breaths.

"I'll see you at work on Friday," he whispered, before planting another kiss on her lips and stepping back. He smiled at her as left her standing completely stunned in her room. He almost walked straight into Draco as he entered the living room.

"I'll be off, thanks for everything, Draco. Maybe we could get a drink at some point?" Charlie asked as he threw on his jacket. Draco frowned but then nodded. He was meant to be changing. He was going to have to accept he was going to be spending an awful lot of time with the Weasley, especially judging by the look in his eye as he had left Hermione's room.

"Look after her, she's a special one," Charlie said and with one last smile he left the flat, his smile broadening to fill his face as the door shut behind him. He had snagged his girl, at least he hoped he had.

 **(Woo, it finally happened - I've been trying to figure out the best time for the first kiss, hope it didn't disappoint - I'm not very good at writing that kind of thing. Ah well, pleaseeee review!)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Woo another update, I would apologise for it being so long but I feel I say that every time! Any way now that we're in lockdown maybe I'll be able to update sooner. I'm anticipating about 4 or 5 more chapters :(( but in the meantime, review and let me know what you think and maybe I'll update quicker with more reviews!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 22**

Hermione walked through the gates into the reserve Friday morning, a smile spreading wide across her face as she saw the distinctive flaming red hair nearing her.

"Morning," Charlie said with a smile. "I brought you a coffee." He handed her a mug of a steaming drink.

"Thanks Charlie," Hermione responded, wrapping her hands around the warming mug. It was a bitterly cold morning, definitely the start of winter, and she appreciated the warmth that spread from the drink.

"Get up to much yesterday?" Charlie asked as the fell in step, heading towards the main tent.

"Not much, walked up to the ruins and had a look around," Hermione responded through sips of her coffee. Charlie laughed

"Of course you did." Hermione decided to ignore him.

"What about you? Please say you stayed away from the dragons," she asked hopefully.

"I was in the hatching clinic for about five hours yesterday. I hope you're proud, the fewest number of hours I've done after a full moon," Charlie responded.

"I'm glad to hear it." They continued walking in silence for a bit longer, sipping at their coffees and just enjoying each other's company.

"Have you thought about accompanying me next weekend to the Burrow?" Charlie finally asked after checking that no one was around. Hermione stopped immediately leaving Charlie to continue walking for a few paces before noticing he was alone. He turned around and approached the brunette, looking into her deep chocolate eyes.

"I have. But I'm sorry Charlie, I just don't think I can," she finally said, and Charlie could tell that she was genuinely sorry.

"Hey, that's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll just head back and see how they're all doing," Charlie responded pulling the witch into a hug as he wrapped his arms around her body. He heard her sniff as he gently stroked her back.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I really thought I could. Draco thinks I should too but I just…just not yet I don't think," Hermione said sadly as she leant away from him and looked up at his face, her eyes swimming with tears. Charlie reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"Don't cry about it Hermione. You'll be ready. One day you'll be ready to go back. It doesn't matter if it's not for a while, but we'll get there, I promise," Charlie said. He lent down and gently pressed his lips against her. It worked instantly as he felt her melt into the kiss as they blocked out the rest of the world around them.

They suddenly jumped apart, both blushing dark red, as a wolf-whistle came from behind them. Without even looking over her shoulder, Hermione gave Charlie a watery smile before hurrying off towards the tent.

"Took you look enough," the tamer said as he strode towards Charlie and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Jake, sod off," Charlie said, but not maliciously as he turned around and followed Hermione towards the main tent. Jake leant his head back and let out a bark of laughter before catching up with his friend.

"So, care to enlighten me how this finally happened?"

"I…ummm…no," Charlie said bluntly, making Jake let out another bark of laughter. He let it go for now, he'd never seen his best mate like this before – besotted with a girl, and he didn't want to ruin his chances.

[-||-]

The next eight days passed in a whirlwind of coffees, dragons and the odd stray kiss and before he knew it Charlie was due to catch his portkey back home.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you to join me?" Charlie asked for the hundredth time that week.

"No, you can't so don't even try," Hermione responded, the exact same response she'd given the entire week.

"Ok, well I'd best be off to the ministry, don't want to miss the portkey." Charlie took the few steps over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug, planting a kiss on top of her bushy hair.

"I'll see you on Monday, Charlie," Hermione said with a laugh as his grip tightened around her. Charlie didn't respond but rather bent down and captured her lips with his own. He ran one hand up her back and tangled his hand in her loose hair, the other tightening his hold around her waist. Hermione let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Charlie took the opportunity to run his tongue across her own, deepening the kiss and making it more desperate. They stood there for what felt like minutes, at peace with each other, passionately snogging. They finally parted, both gasping for air, their eyes filled with lust. Hermione reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"You'll be fine, Charlie. They're not going to love you any less, trust me. You're ready for this, you know it and I know it. Just take the plunge and tell them, start with Bill and Remus and go from there. I'll be proud of you whatever happens. And I'll see you on Monday morning," Hermione whispered quietly, her thumb tracing a faint scar that ran down his cheek. Charlie gave her a watery smile before planting one more kiss on her lips and disappearing with a pop from within her arms.

Charlie landed with a stumble, relieved that no one was around to see him trip onto his knees. He stood up, brushed himself down and hurried towards the front door, the rain drenching him in the minute it took him to reach the porch. He quickly cast a drying and warming spell over himself before pushing open the door. He barely had time to register who was sat in the living room before he was ambushed by his mother.

"Oh, Charlie dear, so lovely to have you home. Come on, we were just about to sit down for some dinner," Mrs. Weasley said in a hurry as she unwrapped her arms from his waist. He was then greeted by each of his family members and it wasn't long before he was sat in his usual seat in the kitchen. His heart dropped when he noticed the empty seat diagonally opposite him. The seat he knew Hermione would occupy had she been here. His stomach lurched as he realised that whilst everyone here was no doubt still searching up and down the country, he knew that she was perfectly safe just a few miles from the reserve back in Romania.

"So, Charlie how are the lizards?" Bill asked from down the end of the table.

"They're doing well, actually. Nothing out of sorts, just getting on with their lives. It's nearly mating season though so we'll get busy preparing for that in a couple of weeks," Charlie explained as he shovelled mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"And no sign of Hermione at the reserve? I know you mentioned she was keen on dragons," Mrs. Weasley asked. Charlie must have hesitated a fraction too long before answering because as he did he received suspicious looks from Harry, Ron and his sister.

"No, nothing unfortunately. But I'm sure she won't be gone much longer, surely she'd be back for Christmas," he suggested trying to get everyone off his backs.

"You would have thought so, but we don't really know what to think about her anymore," Mr. Weasley sighed.

"And none of you have heard anything? No leads on the investigation?"

"They had to cut off the investigation a while ago because they had no leads, so it's just relying on us and people we know to find her," Harry piped up sadly. Charlie looked over the boy. He could tell that he was greatly missing his best friend. It was taking a toll on him, on everyone. And Charlie was really beginning to notice it and realising how selfish she was currently being. He was going to have to speak to her after this weekend. It was unfair for them all to not go back to them.

The rest of the meal continued as normal, with conversations flowing between them all and it wasn't long until Charlie found himself playing wizards chess with Bill next to a roaring fire.

"How's Fleur?" Charlie asked as he watched his knight take down one of Bill's castles.

"She's grumpy, hormonal and a pain if I'm honest so quite relieved that she was in France this week. It'll be nice to have her back though, the house is awfully quiet when it's just me."

"How much longer until the little one arrives?"

"About four more months. Beginning to get rather nervous about it all. Not sure how to be a father if I'm honest." Charlie looked up from the board at his brother, and just by making eye contact knew it was time. He pulled out his wand and subtly cast a muffliato around them so no one could hear.

"Charlie?" Bill questioned, his eyebrows raised at the spell.

"I need to tell you something and I'm just not ready for everyone else to hear," Charlie explained. Bill's eyebrow raised even higher, but he didn't say anything. Charlie took a deep breath.

"About five years ago I had a bad accident. I didn't want to tell anyone because I was ashamed of what happened. I was worried about what other people would think and scared of how you'd all react." He paused momentarily, but again Bill remained silent, waiting for Charlie to continue the story on his own.

"I…um…had a bit of a run in with a werewolf." Bill didn't know what he was expecting, but he was not expecting that. His eyes widened and his mouth opened a little in shock.

"In human or wolf form?" Bill asked quietly.

"Wolf." Charlie rolled up his trousers, pushed down his sock and carefully showed Bill his puncture wounds. Bill didn't say anything. He stared at the dots on Charlie's ankle, trying to process it all.

"I noticed something different about you after I was attacked last summer. Something similar to what I noticed around Remus, but I didn't think anything of it, maybe I should have. So, you're a werewolf then?" Bill finally said, his voiced laced with shock. Charlie nodded.

"For five years?" Charlie nodded again and Bill let out a low whistle.

"Bloody hell, Char. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I told you, I was worried about you all shunning me for what I had become," Charlie whispered, looking down at the chess board, his eyes watering.

"Even after how you knew we had welcomed Remus with open arms?" Bill questioned.

"I didn't know about Remus at first, not for the first three years or so. And then, well…I'd hidden it from everyone for that long, why couldn't I hide it for longer?" Bill rolled his eyes.

"Char, this isn't something you hide from your family. You know we wouldn't have shunned you or anything. We would have looked after you. Protected you. We're family, Charlie. We wouldn't have rejected you at all. And now that everyone finds out its been five bloody years, well good luck with mum's shouting," Bill added with a chortle.

"So, you don't care?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"Charlie, I'm pretty much half a werewolf myself, of course I don't care. But what I want to know, why the sudden desire to tell me?" Charlie muttered something almost incoherent. Not for the first time that evening, Bill raised an eyebrow.

"I met someone who knocked some sense into me," Charlie muttered, the tips of his ears growing red.

"Oh really, and this someone, is a female?" Bill smirked. Charlie's growing blush answered his question.

"And you're smitten with her," Bill added with a knowing look. "Who is it?"

"She works at the reserve, started a few weeks ago. Clever, funny, beautiful, kind, honest, pretty damn perfect," Charlie answered.

"And when are we gonna meet this lass?"

"I'm not sure she's ever going to be ready to meet this brood," Charlie laughed.

"And, Bill, if I hear anything from mum about a wedding, I will hunt you down and I will hurt you," Charlie added deadly serious. Bill snorted with laughter but nodded. Charlie was just about to remove the muffliato spell before bill raised his hand and stopped him.

"You're not just going to tell me though, are you? You're going to tell everyone else right?" he asked. Charlie hesitated.

"Yeah, at some point. I was going to speak to Remus tomorrow because I have a few questions. And the others…well, I was going to wait a bit longer. Not sure I could handle blurting it out and then disappearing back to Romania the next day," Charlie admitted. Bill surveyed his brother carefully.

"You're hiding something else," he said seriously. Charlie frowned.

"I'm not, there's nothing else," Charlie replied.

"You are, but I'm not going to push you. You'll say whatever you need to when you're ready. You've proven already you take a while to tell people important information. This will come. In the meantime, speak to Remus and tell whoever you need. You've stayed silent for five years a few more months or whatever isn't going to hurt anyone, well maybe mum," Bill shrugged before indicating for Charlie to remove the spell and therefore be unable to retaliate.

An hour later and Charlie was lying on top of his covers in his old bedroom, his mind working and denying him sleep. He was glad to have finally told Bill and so relieved to know he didn't think any differently of him. But now that he had told Bill he wanted to just tell everyone, to get it all off his chest. Nothing was going to change, it was who he was now, and they were all family. They loved him, they still would. So what if he turned into a furry monster once a month. Not that he was really a monster with the wolfsbane. He let out a loud groan. Why had he been such an idiot? Why had he been so afraid? He should have told them, he knew that now. He should have told them straight away. And if not when he knew they all accepted Remus with open arms. But there was no point in stressing about it now. He would right it. He would right it tomorrow and he would go back to Romania and give Hermione a solid talking to. She needed some sense knocked into her. And he felt he was the only one who was going to be able to do that. With those final thoughts, he rolled over and fell into an uneasy sleep, filled with anger, tears and misunderstandings.

[-||-]

Charlie woke the following morning to the sound of the rain pummelling down on the roof, not feeling rested at all. After showering and changing he headed down for some breakfast and was surprised to find his entire family sitting at the table, almost as if they were waiting for him.

"Morning all," he greeted before sitting in his usual place and helping himself to pancakes. They all responded in varying degrees of enthusiasm. He heard a loud, distinctive cough and looked up. He caught eye contact with Bill who nodded curtly. Charlie gulped. It was time. Bill must have somehow known Charlie had figured it out last night that he was going to tell everyone. Charlie cleared his throat and a silence fell around the table.

"I…um…have something to say," he started but was interrupted by and onslaught of different suggestions.

"You've met a girl."

"You're moving home."

"You're engaged."

"You've quit your job."

"You're gay." Everyone stared at Ron when he said this.

"What? Is it impossible?"

"No, it's not impossible Ronnikins, but that's not it," Charlie responded with an eyeroll. Charlie took a deep breath before blurting it out. "I'm a werewolf." There was silence. Everyone stared at him, unblinkingly. It was somewhat intimidating.

"You're…what?" Fred finally whispered after a few minutes of nothing.

"I'm a werewolf. I got bitten a while ago and yeah everyone month I turn into a werewolf," Charlie repeated.

"When you say a while ago?" Ginny questioned from his left. Charlie muttered an answer but so quietly no one could hear.

"Five years," he repeated not much louder, but loud enough for everyone to hear. That's when his mother lost it.

"FIVE YEARS?" she screeched. It took less than a minute for everyone to push back their chairs and practically sprint from the kitchen, leaving Charlie to face his mother's wrath. "CHARLES SEPTIMUS WEASLEY. YOU'RE TELLING ME NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN A WEREWOLF FOR FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS YOU HAVE LIED TO ME. TO YOUR FAMILY. I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THAT."

It felt like hours that she shouted at him. It wasn't long into the rant that tears had started to fall down her cheeks. Once she had shouted herself hoarse she collapsed into her chair, looking at him with a softness that Charlie would never have expected.

"Why?" she asked so sadly that Charlie choked on his next words.

"I was scared what you would think. I thought I would be thrown out. Disowned. Have my wand snapped or something like that. I didn't want that to happen. I…I didn't want you to love me any less," Charlie responded, his own tears falling down his cheeks.

"Oh, Charlie," his mother said. She stood up and pulled him into a hug. A hug so tight he was barely able to breathe. "You know that will never happen. You'll always be my Charlie bear."

A few minutes later and Charlie appeared in the silent living room. To no one's surprise the twins let out a howl each as he entered, which made Charlie grin. He had been an idiot. He knew that now. But there was nothing he could do about it but move on. Charlie walked over to sit down on the sofa next to Ron, who immediately jumped up out of the way. Once again, a silence fell as everyone watched Charlie for a reaction.

"You stay away from here. You're a disgrace to the family. How could you possibly come back? Get out," Ron said, his voice quivering.

"Ron," Mr. Weasley said sharply. "That is no way to talk to your brother. Apologise now and stop behaving like that."

"I'll not apologise to that monster," Ron snarled. "How can you take his side? He lied to us. He betrayed us. He's a blood werewolf and you're all acting like nothing has happened."

"Ronald Weasley. That is enough. You say another word and you will be the one thrown out onto the streets. Charlie has done nothing to you. Nothing to anyone. He is just like Remus, no different and we will treat him no differently than we did before. Now apologise to your brother and if I hear you say another word I will snap your wand," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice quiet but filled with anger. Charlie had never seen her like that, in fact no one had ever heard her speak like that, not even Mr. Weasley.

"He's a monster, and I will never treat him the same," Ron sneered. And before anyone could react he stomped off up the stairs, giving Charlie a hearty punch in the stomach as he passed. Mrs. Weasley made to follow him but Charlie put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't, you'll only make it worse," he said softly.

"He's just being a prick," Fred supplied

"He'll get over himself," George added.

"One day or another."

"Forget about him."

"It's not as if we don't."

"You'll see, he'll be back."

"One day."

"Maybe."

"Or not."

"We'll see."

"Boys," Mr. Weasley warned at the twins, but Charlie smiled at them. They were always able to lighten the mood. He collapsed into the sofa. He knew it had been too good to be true to have everyone in his family to accept it. There was bound to be one of them. And it didn't surprise him that it was Ron. It was going to be him or Percy. But Percy had been trying so hard to be a member of the family again he wouldn't dare pull a stunt like that. Charlie let out a sigh as he rested his head against the back of the sofa, his eyes fluttering closed and his thoughts turning to a smiling witch 2000 miles away, who just so happened to be lying on her bed, her own thoughts on Charlie and how he was doing at the Burrow.

 **(A/N: how d'ya like it? Glad to finally have got over that hump - I've been thinking about this moment since I first started righting so pretty glad to have finally got it out there. Hope you enjoyed it! And once again please please gimme a follow/favourite/review - it'll make me very happy!)**


	23. Chapter 23

**I hope you're all keeping safe. I've managed to get another chapter out for you - it's a little bit shorter but hopefully you'll enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts in a review! Hopefully the next one won't be too long, I finish my uni year in about 10 days so will have plenty of time to crack it out!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 23**

The rest of the day passed quickly and before he knew it Charlie was eyeing a glowing toothbrush ready to get the portkey back to Romania.

"Do you really have to go? You've only been here 24 hours," Mrs. Weasley pleaded as she pulled her son into a hug.

"Yes, I do. I told you mum, it was just going to be a brief visit to celebrate with you all. But I'll be back for Christmas and New Year – I've got nearly 3 weeks off," Charlie said with a grin as he said goodbye to the rest of his family. Everyone except Ron, who hadn't appeared all day, not that Charlie had really minded. Out of all his brothers, Ron had been the one he always struggled to get along with when they were younger. Not that that meant he loved him any less, well maybe a little bit now after what he had said, but he just found him…difficult.

"OK, well please keep in touch, a weekly owl would be nice." Charlie smiled at his family before touching the toothbrush and vanishing with a jerk. He landed just outside the reserve and he battled with himself to just go and see Hermione. But it was late, and he knew she started before dawn the following morning. What he needed to talk to her about could wait until the next day, it's not as if he wouldn't see her. With that decided, he trudged through the reserve to his hut before hunkering down to bed with a book ready for the next week and what was potentially going to be quite a difficult conversation the following day.

[-||-]

Charlie reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her flat towards his chest. Hermione turned around in his arms and smiled up at him.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"It was…OK, I guess. I ended up telling everyone," he responded as he reached out and tucked a curl behind her ear.

"And everyone took it OK?" Hermione asked, her eyes filled with an intensity Charlie had never seen before. He hesitated for a fraction of a second as he made up his mind.

"Yeah, it was fine. A relief actually," he muttered. Hermione grinned.

"I knew it would be fine. I'm so proud of you," she said wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing the side of her head to his chest. He held her like that for a few moments.

"We need to talk," he finally said quietly. Hermione pulled away and looked into his eyes, confusion etched across her face.

"About what?" she asked somewhat tentatively.

"Something, but we can't do it now. How does dinner sound tonight? Come around to mine and I'll cook you some traditional Romanian meatballs." Hermione considered him for a while before nodding her head slowly.

"Suits me," she said before reaching up on her toes and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. She extracted herself from his arms and quickly hurried into the hatching tent. Charlie watched her for a few seconds before she disappeared from sight. She was not going to like what he had to say. The burning question was though, did he tell her about Ron? He had been struggling with it ever since Ron had acted the prat. He was worried that if he told her that would completely put her off coming back to the Weasleys, but if he acted like nothing happened and Ron behaved like an even bigger prick, which he probably would because at least Charlie hadn't disappeared off the face of the planet for however many months it had been, Hermione would not only be angry but she'd be upset. She'd likely feel that Charlie had betrayed her just to get her back. But she needed to go back, and he was concerned that if she knew about Ron she wouldn't. His brain was a bit of a mess but then he figured out exactly who to talk to and he left the reserve at a run before disapparating and arriving in an alleyway off the high street of Tibertan.

Charlie ignored the 'Do not enter' sign taped to the door and pushed it open.

"Can you not read?" a snarling voice came from behind a cauldron. "I am busy, Lucinda. It's very important I get this – Weasley?" Draco looked up and was surprised to see not his co-worker but his, what should he say, the guy his roommate was hooking up with? The guy who had stolen his girl? OK, maybe not stolen, but he'd most certainly got in the way.

"I know I said we should get a drink, but can we get a coffee?" Charlie asked, ignoring the first question.

"I'm a bit busy right now Weasley, or can you not read?" Draco said with a huff turning back to the weighing scales and the bicorn horn he was currently crushing.

"I can wait," Charlie said, pulling out a stool from under the desk and sitting down. Draco glowered at him but didn't say anything, just getting on with the potion until finally, about 20 minutes later, he stood up and wiped his hands down the front of his apron.

"This needs to simmer for 22 minutes, you can take that or leave it," he announced shrugging off the apron and leading the way out of the potions lab.

"I'll take it," Charlie murmured following the blonde out of the shop and to the little café on the corner where they both ordered a coffee and found a table at the far end of the room.

"Right, you're down to 17 minutes and 21 seconds, spill," Draco said glancing at his watch before looking at Charlie intensely.

"In short, I went home at the weekend and ended up telling everyone about me. They all took it well, apart from Ron that is, he was quite the arse. But they are still all so down and broken about her. They don't know anything. She needs to go back but…but I don't know what to do about Ron," Charlie explained. Draco examined him over the top of his cappuccino.

"Hmmm…what did Weasel say?" he finally asked.

"Various things about me being a monster, how could anyone trust me, I've betrayed them. You get the gist." Draco nodded his head slightly.

"You're worried that if you tell her about what Weasel said she won't go back to them, but if you don't she's going to feel you betrayed her when Weasel's a dick to her?" Charlie nodded.

"Well…you do have quite the predicament on your hands," Malfoy mused.

"Gee, thanks, Malfoy. I hadn't figured that one out myself," Charlie said rolling his eyes. They sat there for a while in silence before Draco finally broke it.

"You have to tell her," he said simply. Charlie opened his mouth to counter him, but Draco cut across him. "If you don't, the consequences will be a lot worse when she does go back. At least if you tell her she can prepare herself. She can adapt how she goes back, you know maybe just seeing Remus, Scarhead and Weaslette to begin with. Slowly work her way in. But if she goes fully back tells everything and Weasel is a prick as he most definitely will be, it'll just set her back. She'll never go back then. He was one of her best friends for 7 years of her life. What he says will have a massive impact on what happens in the future." Charlie pondered. He knew Draco was talking a lot of sense and he knew deep down he had already made his decision; he was just delaying the inevitable. It wouldn't have been right to her to lie. He had to tell her the truth. It would just mean they altered their plans on when and how she went back. Like Draco said, taking it slow would be the way forward.

"You're right," Charlie finally said.

"I know. I tend to be. And I know her pretty damn well. Being caved up in a shed with her in the middle of the Black Forest, you tend to get to know your companions pretty well," Draco smirked, a hint of distaste in his voice.

"Yes, I get it. You don't need to spell it out for me."

"Spell what out for you?" Draco asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.

"That you're pissed at me for entering Hermione's life and…well…getting in the way of you two," Charlie said quietly. "But right now we're the closest she has to a family. We're the only ones that know what she is, where she is and how to protect her. We need to put our differences aside and get along. She's never going to leave you, Draco. She loves you, you're her brother. She's closer to you than she is to Harry. But she's scared. She's scared of going back. She doesn't want to be alone and she doesn't want to lose you. You might not be able to be together, but you'll always have her. You're in her pack." Draco sat there, almost stunned.

"I…I guess you're right. It doesn't mean I like it, and it certainly doesn't mean I like you. But I'll help. Of course, I will. As with you I want to see her properly happy and free, and that can't happen until she's back with her friends. So yeah, for now I'll put everything aside and try and get through it. But Weasley, if you hurt here in any way, shape or form, I promise I will find you and I will make your life a living hell," Draco added, his eyes turning a dark grey and filled with intensity. Charlie nodded.

"Trust me, I won't. But if I do, you have every right to throw me off a cliff." Draco nodded in agreement.

"Right, well if that's all you wanted to talk about I'd better head back before this potion goes caput. I guess I'll see you around Weasley." And without another word, Draco was on his feet and Charlie was left sitting at the table to mull over his thoughts.

[-||-]

Charlie opened the door with a large smile, gesturing for his guest to enter his humble abode.

"Good day?" he asked taking her jacket and hanging it up before giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, not too bad actually. Pretty tired but I'm constantly kept on my toes so I don't think about it too much," she answered following Charlie towards the kitchen, where he'd laid the table with a white tablecloth and some candles.

"Just you wait until you get onto your feeding rotation, you'll never have experienced something like it."

"I think I've got a first aid rotation first and then it's feeding," Hermione responded leaning against the counter watching as Charlie stirred the remaining ingredients into the sauce for the meatballs.

"Right, they're almost done, just need to reduce the sauce for a few more minutes. Can I get you a drink while we wait?"

"A butterbeer would be fine, thanks Charlie."

"One butterbeer coming right up."

It wasn't long until they were sat across from each other tucking into the food, Hermione was surprised at how good a cook Charlie was. He almost rivalled his mother. After the meatballs they had a dessert of papanaşi, a traditional Romanian pudding of sweet dough like doughnuts topped with jam and cream that quite literally melted in Hermione's mouth. The conversation flowed easily as they laughed about some of the predicaments their fellow dragon tamers had found themselves in and before they knew it they found themselves on the couch, Hermione drinking a jasmine tea and Charlie a mint tea.

"As much as this was delightful, I'm pretty sure you said you had something to talk about," Hermione said after a prolonged period of silence.

"Yeah there's something I need to say. I don't think you'll like it and you may get angry or upset but please just look at it from the outside in," Charlie said, putting his mug down and turning to face her. Worry flittered across Hermione's face. There was something about what he said that meant she had a good idea about what he was going to say.

"When I was at home there was something that was made so obvious to me; just how much everyone misses you. Hermione, they have no idea where you are, the last time they heard anything from you was months ago so they have no idea if you're still OK. They don't know what's happened you, why you just disappeared after the battle. They don't know anything, and it was so clear that it terrified them. I have never seen Harry so quiet and morose. You can't just let them be. You can't keep living your life happily and carefree whilst they practically mourn you every day, living in hope that one day they'll hear something from you, about you or just anything. You're killing them, Hermione, and it's not fair. It's not fair to them, it's not fair to you. You have to go back, even just to say hello, that you're well and living here and you'll keep in touch. Something, anything just go back. Think of them as you live your life. Think of them each time you make a decision that delays them knowing anything." Hermione sat there for a few seconds, taking in everything he had just said.

"You don't get it –"

"What don't I get Hermione? What is it that is stopping you? Because right now I wouldn't say you're a Gryffindor, you're not being brave, you're not taking risks, you're not being loyal to your friends or your family. You're…you're being a coward."

"A…a coward?" Hermione choked, her eyes now swimming with tears. "That is so hypocritical of you, Charlie Weasley and you know it. Who was it who kept a secret, a pretty big one at that, from their family for five, yes five, years?"

"I have my reasons –"

"And I have mine," Hermione said loudly, her temper rising.

"Well what? What is so important to you that you can't look after your friends? You're thinking about you and only you and it's not fair. You're hurting the people who practically adopted you into their family. You're hurting my family, surely that would mean something to you?" Charlie argued, his voice also raising and his anger bubbling.

"Of course, it means something to me. You don't surely think that I'm not thinking about everything I'm doing, that I'm not regretting my choices? Charlie, I regretted leaving the second I did. I've never regretted something more but there was nothing I could do about it."

"Of course, there was something you could do about it. You could have gone back, not stayed in the middle of nowhere putting undue stress on my family."

"No, I couldn't, because like you said I was a coward. A stupid coward that thought more about themselves than they did about other people. By leaving, it meant that I couldn't go back. I had to get my life together so that when I did go back at least I wouldn't be treated like someone who just gave up. I needed to get my life on track before I could face anyone again. And once I finally felt steady, once I actually felt safe, confident and believed I could get through it all it had been what, four months. I then bumped into you and my thoughts and head was all over the place once again so soon after. What was an extra few months after four to get everything back together?" The tears were flowing more freely down Hermione's cheeks as she spoke but she didn't do anything to get rid of them. Charlie wanted to feel bad, he wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her he was sorry and that it would all be OK. But she hadn't seen his family at the weekend. She hadn't seen what she had done to them. And in there, deep down he felt betrayed. He felt betrayed for his family. Yes, what he had done had been bad. And he had acknowledged that, but he hadn't just disappeared. He hadn't left this family grieving for someone they didn't know whether they were alive or dead.

"An eternity. That's what an extra few months is, Hermione. Just think about how the others are feeling. Think about Harry, and Ron and Ginny and everyone else. Think about them, for once."

"You honestly think that I don't think about them? That I don't cry myself to sleep missing my best friends. That I don't wish I was back in England. That I don't over analyse every decision I make."

"But you're not doing anything about it," Charlie countered. He was angry, she was angry. This conversation hadn't exactly gone to plan.

"You don't get it. It's not your family that I don't want to go back to. It's everyone else. It will get out. Everyone will know and it will be so much worse. I'm not just a werewolf, Charlie, I'm a mudblood. I always have been, I always will be and it will be so much worse for me. If it gets out about you, it won't be a problem so much but for me, I already have so many haters and it's just going to add fuel to the fire."

"It doesn't have to get out. It can stay a secret," Charlie said. He was trying to grasp at straws right now. He had been wrong. He thought Hermione was being selfish, but she truly wasn't. She was thinking about herself, but not for the wrong reasons. She was scared and frightened and he was meant to be protecting her. But he wasn't, he was failing her and he was starting to feel very bad about it.

"Of course it doesn't. But it will. It's me, it will come out and that'll be the end of it. So sorry about wanting to try and live normally for a while. Sorry about trying to sort my head out and work out how the next few years are going to go." She stood up, her eyes streaming with tears. "I thought I could trust you. I thought you were going to help me. But Merlin was I wrong." And without so much as a glance back she turned on her heel and left his hut. The door slamming loudly behind her. Charlie slumped back against the sofa, completely deflated. That hadn't gone well.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it - are you team Charlie or team Hermione? I've been waiting to write that 'conversation' in for a while now and I'm glad I've got it down, I quite enjoyed writing it! Don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts and hopefully it will spur me on to complete the next chapter soon!)**


	24. Chapter 24

**This was one of those chapters where I literally just sat down and typed it all out in one go, and I really enjoyed it, so much so that I just had to post it (I was planning on leaving it a few more days but couldn't wait!), so I hope you enjoy it as much! Let me know your thoughts!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xo**

 **Chapter 24**

Hermione ignored Charlie for the next three days, turning around and walking in the opposite direction every time she saw him, which it turned out was often. He tried to catch her whenever possible, in the cafeteria, the medical tent, the hatching tent wherever he could. He even considered visiting her one evening but thought that would push it a bit far. It wasn't until Friday morning that he managed to corner her.

"Here, I got you a coffee," he said sticking out his hand with a steaming mug of coffee. She eyed it suspiciously.

"I haven't poisoned it," Charlie chuckled.

"I wouldn't have known," Hermione responded tartly, but accepted it anyway.

"Can we talk?" Charlie asked after she took a sip.

"We already have, Charlie," she said eyeing him over the top of the mug.

"Hermione, please. You know I didn't mean to take it that far."

"It didn't seem like that. It seemed like you meant every word you said," Hermione said bitterly.

"I took it too far. I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to push you that far, I just wanted you to know -"

"To know that every decision I've made has been the wrong one," Hermione. "Look, Charlie. I just need some time. What you said really upset me. You made me doubt everything. And it didn't seem like you cared about me. I know I'm not your family, I get that, but the last thing I knew was that pack mates help each other."

"Of course I care about you Hermione, more than you know. I care about you so much that I just want to see you safe and happy. And I know you won't be completely happy if you're not with Harry and Ron."

"You made an odd way of showing that."

"I know that. I made a mistake, I'm sorry. But please just get it in you that I want to help you out and everything I do is for you. I'm not making you go back, it's your decision but you do need to assess everything and think about everyone back home."

"I'm sorry, Charlie, but it's just going to take a bit of time until I can forgive some of the things you said. Thanks for the coffee though, I needed it," she added with a sad smile. She turned around and walked off and Charlie knew it was going to be a while before she next spoke to him about something that wasn't dragon related. He needed to come up with something. And something fast. It was just over a month until Christmas and he had hoped to have her back at The Burrow for then.

[-||-]

Charlie's plan came into fruition the following weekend. Hermione was sat at her desk on the wet Saturday morning, penning a letter to Harry. If Charlie had been right and Harry was miserable it was about time she made contact with him again, even just to remind him she was fine. Draco was at work, so she was all alone mulling over what to write whilst listening to some Christmas carols when she heard a knock on the front door. She pulled on an old Quidditch sweatshirt of Draco's before heading out of her room and opening the door.

"Remus? What are you doing here?" she asked completely stunned to see the older man standing outside the door.

"I've come to talk," Remus responded.

"Let me guess, Charlie sent you," Hermione said somewhat grumpily but let her old professor into the flat regardless.

"I'm neither denying nor confirming that," Remus said with a smile that told Hermione it was entirely Charlie's doing.

"Can I get you a cup of tea?" Hermione asked, gesturing for Remus to take a seat on the sofa.

"That would be lovely, thank you, Hermione." Hermione busied herself making a couple of mugs of tea and ferreting around trying to find some biscuits that hadn't gone out of date.

"How have you been?" Remus asked as she handed him his tea and sat down opposite him.

"Getting better, I guess," Hermione shrugged.

"Good. This…umm…what did you call them, 'hut-mate', a Slytherin by any chance?" Remus asked, cocking his head at the silver serpent crest on her left chest. Hermione blushed.

"A Malfoy by chance?"

"How?"

"His name is on the back, Hermione. I saw it as you were making the tea," Remus said with a slight laugh.

"Yeah, well he's become a very good friend to me. He's looked after me more times than I care to think," Hermione said with a shrug, everting her eyes and looking anywhere except at Remus.

"Just a 'very good friend', eh?"

"Yes. He's just a friend, nothing more," Hermione said, her cheeks flushing an even darker pink. "Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't. Anything that is said here is between you and me and no one else. No one even knows I'm here. Apart from Charlie that is," Remus added thoughtfully.

"Why did Charlie get you to visit in the first place?" Hermione asked although she thought she already knew the answer.

"He said, I quote 'please come and talk some sense into her'," Remus said, the edges of his mouth raising in a slight smile.

"That bastard cannot keep his nose out of other people's business," Hermione growled.

"Now, Hermione, he does have a point."

"Oh great, so you come all the way to Romania to tell me that I've made a mistake, I've been a selfish prat and shouldn't forgive myself," Hermione huffed.

"I said he has a point, not that I agree with me," Remus said sternly eyeing her carefully. Hermione's mouth formed an oh and Remus nodded curtly. "He explained everything to me."

"So, you know?"

"That he's a werewolf, yes, I do."

"And he told you everything in a letter. Did he not think it might get intercepted and that all the secrets could be leaked?"

"He didn't tell me in the letter, just that he urgently required my attention in Romania at my earliest convenience, which was today. I saw him earlier and he told me everything over breakfast. As much as he may have pushed you the other week, he's not an idiot, Hermione. He truly cares about you and your wellbeing. He would never do anything to jeopardise you or your secrets, trust me." Hermione examined her old professor and judging by the looks in his eyes she knew he was telling the truth.

"I know that I just can't help but feel upset about what he said."

"I understand. I would agree that he took it too far, but he's acknowledged that and he's trying to make amends. He misses you, Hermione. He hates seeing you like this and just wants you to speak to him again."

"It's hard though –"

"I know that, but it can't hurt to try." Remus raised an eyebrow as he said that causing Hermione to let out a sigh.

"I suppose," she said quietly.

"Good, now onto the real business," Remus said clapping his hands together.

"What, that wasn't what you came for?" Hermione asked, somewhat surprised.

"As if I would come all the way to Romania to involve myself in two people's squabbles, you've got to be joking me, Hermione. I thought you were cleverer than that," he said but with a laugh. Hermione flushed a little. No, he obviously was going to talk about something else.

"Let me guess, you've either come to tell me someone's close to finding me…or that I need to go back," Hermione pondered. "I'm going to go with the latter." Remus smiled in agreement.

"That's more like the girl I knew." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Look, Remus. As much as I appreciate you coming over here and I'm glad to see you. I've told Charlie and I'll tell you. I'm just not ready. I'm not ready to be gawked at, pointed at, made fun of and shunned away even further than before. I thought I had Charlie on my side, but that doesn't seem to be the case at the moment. And if I rocked up with Draco Malfoy…well, shit will hit the fan," Hermione sighed.

"I get that. I really do, and I reckon Charlie does as well. He had he preparing for five years, you've had it for a few months. It takes longer than a few months to get over what has happened and prepare yourself for the next portion of your life. No, I'm not here to make you come back. I'm here to…well…propose another idea."

"Your idea, or Charlie's?"

"Mine, but Charlie did agree that it was a good idea."

"Of course he did," Hermione said bitterly.

"Give him a chance, Hermione. He's really only trying to help. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do when you're in lo-" Remus cut off abruptly. Judging by the look on Hermione's face she didn't quite know the extent of Charlie's feelings for her. Remus didn't exactly want to go and put his foot in it.

"Let's hear it then," Hermione said eyeing Remus over the top of her mug, she thought she knew what he was about to say. But she didn't want to push anything.

"So, I was thinking. Rather than coming back, why don't you invite some here?" Hermione eyed her old professor curiously.

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"So invite Harry and Ginny and myself maybe if you want for the day to Romania. Get them to swear not to tell anyone, which if they care about you enough, they will comply. Talk to them, catch up with everything but stay in Romania for the time being. You've then made one massive step forward. You've told your best friends and then you can take a bit more time until you tell anyone else," Remus explained. Hermione considered it for a few moments. It wasn't a horrendous idea, but there was a flaw.

"Why would I not invite Ron?" she asked. An expression that Hermione was unable to read flashed across Remus' face for a fraction of a second. "What?"

"Charlie hasn't told you?" Hermione's heart dropped. Was Ron ill or something? Or had he died? And she had been hiding away from everyone whilst something worse was going on.

"Ron's fine right?"

"Yes, he's fine. He…just…um…let's just say he didn't take Charlie's news too well," Remus said very quietly Hermione had to consider what he said for a second to interpret it correctly. Her face turned impassive as it hit her.

"What did he do?" she growled. Out of anyone in the Weasleys, someone to take news like that badly, Ron would be the only one.

"Well, Charlie spared me the details but just things like calling him a monster, ashamed that he was a part of the family, that he'd betrayed them all. You get the gist," Remus said sadly.

"But Charlie said they had all been fine about it," Hermione responded, her eyes narrowed. "Just when I begin to trust him, he lies straight to my face again. You see, Remus. You see why he can be so in the wrong."

"Funny you should say that, Granger." Hermione spun around in her seat to face the door where the so familiar voice had come from. Draco Malfoy was leaning against the wall, his distinctive smirk spread across his face. "Nice sweatshirt, by the way, green really does suit you."

"How long have you been there?" Hermione asked.

"Long enough to know what's going on. Now, you say that Charlie didn't tell you about Weasel. Interesting really, because I spoke to him the morning you had your, what shall we call it, spat? And he was head over heels confused about what to tell you. He was so unsure that he came to speak to me. Me. He was going to tell you. But then your evening chat didn't go quite as well as he planned, he didn't get around to telling you. A shame really, I always thought Weasel was pretty useless and didn't need to be in your life. I mean, how many letters did you get from him? How many patronus came from him? I'm pretty sure it's a big fat 0. Only Potter and Weaseltte sent you anything. I think that tells you a lot about your 'friendship'," Draco said all the while fixing himself a cup of tea in the kitchen.

"I didn't realise," Hermione said quietly. But loudly enough for Draco to hear her.

"Of course you didn't. You've spent the past, what 10 days, sulking around ignoring that man. Infuriating really because as much as I wanted, no want, to be with you, I know that one day you'd go back all lovey-dovey to your saviour wolf." Hermione could tell from the tone of his voice that he meant no maliciousness towards her. He was just stating facts and when Draco Malfoy states facts he's pretty blunt about it.

"Did you hear Remus' plan then?" Hermione asked as he reappeared carrying a cup of tea and more biscuits.

"I did. And as much as I hate to agree, I think it's a good one. The next question though, will I be around?" Draco asked nonchalantly as he collapsed into an armchair. Hermione didn't even need to think about her answer.

"Yes, of course, you will be. You're a pretty damn important part of my life now Draco and if they can't accept that, well sucks to be them cos you, ferret, will forever be in my life now," Hermione said sincerely, holding eye contact with the blonde boy, no he was definitely now a man.

"I'm touched, Hermione. Truly," he responded. "It's a shame that Charlie exists really because I think we could do pretty well together." Hermione let out a dry chuckle.

"You've got to let go of me someday, Draco. You need your own girl."

"What if the girl I need is sat in front of me and not available." Hermione stood up and walked over to Draco. She pulled him up from the chair and into a hug.

"You never know. If Charlie keeps behaving like a prat, I may become available. But don't keep your hopes up," she whispered in his ear.

"Don't worry, but hopes are definitely getting crushed," Draco muttered back, holding the witch tightly in his arms. The pair stood like that for a minute until they heard a clearing of a throat. They jumped apart, blushing profusely. They had both completely forgotten Remus has been sat there the entire time, watching the encounter.

"I had best be off. I told Harry I'd be back to give Teddy his lunch. Should I be expected a letter from you soon, inviting me to visit?" Remus asked raising an eyebrow. Hermione gulped but nodded.

"Great, I'll see you both soon. And Hermione, you've got two pretty special men, and a third if you include Harry, in your lives. Please try to not drive them all away." And with that Remus let himself out of the flat, the door closing behind him with a click.

"Seems like you've got someone to visit. I'll fix us some lunch for when you're back. Don't be too long or I'll have to come find you. We haven't spent an afternoon together and I've got an idea on something to do," Draco said as he walked past her and towards his room.

[-||-]

5 minutes later and Hermione was knocking on his front door. It took less than 10 seconds for Charlie to open it. His eyes bugged a little seeing her standing in front of him.

"Can I come in?" Hermione asked tentatively. Charlie nodded and moved out of the way for her to enter his small, three-roomed house. After the pleasantries had been exchanged, Hermione found herself sat on the sofa a mug of hot cocoa in her hands – she'd had far too much tea already that morning.

"Hermione, look, I really am so sorry-"

"No, Charlie. Shush, I'm going to do the talking. I forgive you. Completely. I know now that you were only looking out for me. You may have meant what you said but I realise now it wasn't in a malicious kind of way. You were just trying to look after your family and you were just trying to help me. I'm sorry I was a twat and didn't realise for so long you were just trying to help. I'm sorry I took it all to heart and didn't just listen to you and think. I've come to the conclusion that surprisingly I haven't been doing much thinking recently. I've just been acting for myself. I've just been doing what I've wanted and I've not thought about everyone around me. I have been selfish and I'm sorry for taking it out on you. I'm not ready to face everyone but I'm going to start with small steps. I'm going to get Harry. Ginny and Remus over next Sunday for the day. And I'd like you to join us. If you would like and if you can bear to look at me again. I'm sorry, Charlie, truly I am," Hermione finished bending her head and looking at her feet rather than at the man sat opposite her. Charlie reached out and place a finger under her chin, lifting up her head to look at him.

"You don't have anything to apologise for. You've behaved just as anyone in your situation would. I'd have expected nothing less. I'm so glad that you're starting to reach out and I know it will do you so much good. Small steps, Hermione, that's all it will take. And if you'll let me, I'll be by your side the entire time," Charlie said, looking right into her chocolate brown eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. Everything will turn out fine. And I am still so sorry for pushing you so far the other week. I won't do it again, but I am glad you're beginning to feel you can step out of your shell."

"I don't deserve you," Hermione murmured quietly, a lone tear falling from her eyes. Charlie reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.

"No, I don't deserve you. You are the strongest, bravest, smartest witch I know and I've finally begun to feel complete after bumping into you all those weeks ago. I cannot thank the deity's enough for leading us together. You're my everything, Hermione. I won't ever leave you. Pack mates stick together." Charlie pulled Hermione to him and wrapped his arms around her as she settled onto his lap, her head resting against his chest. A few minutes later and he noticed her breathing slow down to a steady pace, realising she had fallen asleep in his arms. But he just couldn't bring himself to move. He was very content right there and then and didn't want to do anything to ruin the moment. He figured it wouldn't be too long until a certain blonde-haired wizard came looking for her, but for now, she was his. And he was going to make this last as long as possible.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! So it looks like the next chapter is going to be the big reveal - how do you think it will go? Let me know your thoughts, reviews = love!)**


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